Emmeline Vance

29 | healer extraordinaire | former ravenclaw | does not take no for an answer

[emme-vance]

mxrysmac​:

…

There was a time when she related to Emmeline more than anyone else in the Order.  They were kindred spirits, believing and acting quite similarly throughout it all.  But now?  As she sat across from her at the table, she couldn’t help but feel a bit of sympathy toward the older woman.  You became strong when you were forced to do so, and Emmeline, though absolutely no fault of her own, was still able to live a relatively normal life.  She didn’t have to be strong, not in the way those who were tossed away did.  She didn’t want to resent her though, because it truly wasn’t her fault.  And in the end, maybe that was the point of the codes, to divide the few that remained in teh Order.

“That’s okay,” she smiled sadly.  “worry is a part of my nature.  I understand completely, and I’ll do some of it as well.”  She shook her head.  “It’s not great, obviously.  But pain is pain, you don’t have to quantify it.  It’s been –” she ran a hand through her hair.  “a lot for all of us, the past year.  Just because your day to day life is a bit simpler than mine doesn’t mean you don’t deserve the chance to grieve.”

...

"The year is a year,” she said softly, shoving her hands in her pockets and looking over at Mary again. She was younger -- Emmeline couldn’t remember just how much younger, even if she was pressed, but a lot had changed over the year even without the obvious, ever present problems that they faced now. Choices had been made and while Emmeline might not have made the call on it, she had certainly continued to back them up, swallowing hard on a regular basis and ignoring the fact that if the shoes had been reversed she would have wanted to know. 

“Besides, my grief is different, I’m sure,” she said, looking back to the path that they were walking. “It can be set aside when there’s larger ones that need help -- and large issues at hand. Are you sure that you and everyone else is doing okay? I know that you can somewhat be in the Muggle world, but if you need anything...?”

[emme-vance]

mxrysmac​:

…

Anxiety was her constant companion.  She could never fully break away from the constant weight settling in her stomach like a ball of lead.  Emmeline’s presence an additional stressor that she hadn’t been prepared to take on that day; but in equal measure, she wasn’t prepared to walk away without a conversation.

She shook her head.  “The only magical people that linger in the Muggle world are ones who don’t care about things like the codes or ones who aren’t in a position to do anything about it.  If I were to run into a real threat around here it would be by some unfortunate timing, and I’ll just apparate away.  It’s fine, I’ve had some time to practice this sort of thing.”  She sighed, gesturing for Emmeline to follow her down the road.

Side by side they walked in silence until they reached a small coffee shop.  Mary held the door open and chose a table by the window so she could keep an eye on those coming and going.  “How have you been?”  She asked finally.  It was hard when someone you trusted just a matter of weeks ago turned into someone whose allegiance you couldn’t quite be certain of.

...

Was this a good idea -- was this going to be a mess -- would they be caught by someone who would recognize them both? There were heavy questions on the mind of Emmeline and it cause her to swallow for a moment and look over at Mary for a few long moments, her gaze steady and unwavering as she took in her appearance. She wasn’t as ruffled as what Emmeline would have thought that she would be and she didn’t look as plain tired as she thought she would be either. No, she looked weary, which was understandable given the situation that she was in, but all in all -- Emmeline felt the weight on her shoulders of worry lessen slightly. 

“I’m still gonna worry some, you know,” Emmeline said, shifting the things into the bag around her shoulder, raising an eyebrow and looking around the area that they were in. The world was a mess, Emmeline knew that but Mary knew that better when it came down to it -- better than Emmeline probably ever would. She hadn’t lost her life and she certainly hadn’t lost the relationships that she had. 

The question made her hesitate for a moment, leaning against the table when they were fully seated and sighing. She was good -- she was better than others, those that had lost their loved ones and their families, their livelihoods because of the change, but it didn’t change the bubble of anger that she could feel, constant and hot in her gut. “I’m doing okay -- can’t complain too much when you’re going through significantly worse.”

[daniella-alonso]

ANA DE ARMAS in war dogs.

[emme-vance]

bellatrixblackx​:

- 

Her smile never faltered even as Emmeline snapped at her. It must have been an odd sight for the others around them. It wasn’t often that Bellatrix sat calmly at a table, sipping a cup of tea while some filthy halfblood stood above her and tried to control their conversation. 

It was one of the funniest things Bellatrix found about Emmeline, that she could so easily get worked up from so little work from herself. “I don’t have to leave anything alone,” Bellatrix said, leaning back in her chair with her cup and bringing one leg up to cross over the other, “Just because it makes you angry to hear the truth about Longbottom doesn’t make me wrong.”

...

“It also does not mean that you must bring it up, Bella,” Emmeline said, swallowing hard for a moment before trying to pull herself back in. This was stupid, she wasn’t supposed to be out and about arguing with Bellatrix Black even if the world was different. She really shouldn’t be arguing with the woman when the situation was as it is -- no, the woman could probably quite literally have her arrested with the utterance of the word given who her family was now but Emmeline just felt... well, defensive.

She knew that there had been wrong done and the fact that her old classmate was privy to the knowledge got underneath her skin far more than she wasn’t to acknowledge. No, taking a slow breath was the best course of action and getting herself out before she did something stupid, nodding her head at the brunette. “Lovely to see you, as always, I’ll let you get back to whatever it was that you were doing,” she said.

[emme-vance]

mxrysmac​:

…

It would be easy enough to let her heart drift toward bitterness – Emmeline had been just as involved in the Order as she had, and yet only one of them were bearing the weight of that choice.  It wasn’t that she regretted it.  Far from it, actually – as more and more time passed she felt sure it was time to reorganize.  Nor did she wish Emmeline harm.  It was just a difficult thing to reconcile.  “Of course.  If you grab the liver and roses I can get the salt and vinegar and meet you back up front.”

She wasn’t an optimist, not really.  It was more that where else could they go at this point if not up?  But she just smiled and turned, quickly gathering the two things that Emmeline needed, handing them to her so they could check out.  

It was easy for her to place the groceries in her charmed bag once outside.  She sat on a bench putting plastic bag after plastic bag inside before zipping it up.  “We could get a  bit of tea if you’d like?  Or maybe a sandwich?  And just talk for a bit.”

...

Everything had changed -- she hadn’t seen Mary in who knew how long, she wasn’t even really supposed to be seeing the woman now and there would be hell to pay if anyone knew where Mary MacDonald was, or that someone was associating with her still. It didn’t change the fact that Emmeline felt some responsibility for the younger woman. A responsibility for the fact that she certainly shouldn’t be in hiding while Emmeline was still very much in her job and comfortable in her flat. 

Merlin, it made her ache when she thought about it too much. The girl was far too kind for her own good sometimes.

“I’ll meet you in the front then,” she said, nodding and slipping further into the store, finding the items and back outside before she knew it, swallowing hard when she looked at Mary and giving her yet another once over with her eyes. Well, at least she didn’t seem any worse for the wear, that was for sure, Emme wasn’t sure what she would do if the girl ended up getting hurt and unable to actually make it to Mungo’s for treatment because of her status. “Are you safe to be able to be out and do that? I don’t want to put you in more danger just by lingering around.”

[emme-vance]

Frank and Emmeline || Of Pushing and of Pulling

franklongbttom​:

-

Much of Frank’s fight had left him the moment his life had left this world. That single instant had been the onset of wave upon wave of guilt, resentment and bitter bitter hate. It was an exhausting existence that had given him permanent lines beneath his eyes and a dullness to what had previously been a pair of sparkling pools.

Resigned, he’d allowed Emmeline into the flat. He didn’t know what she wanted, he only hoped she wouldn’t stay too long. He had a whole deal of nothing to do and he preferred to do it in silence. At her words, Frank couldn’t help but let out a bitter laugh. “You need a new set of eyes then,” he told her plainly before he wordlessly lead the way to his kitchen. 

He knew what she was doing, trying to be cheerful and optimistic in the hope that it would rub off on him. He could save her a whole heap of time and effort and simply tell her that it wouldn’t, but he had a feeling that she would try anyway. “Oh? Well, why don’t you tell me then. Since you’ve suddenly become Miss Nancy Drew.” Frank was rather proud of that reference, he knew that Alice would have been proud too. It was such small things that had always held meaning to her, the fact that he had always listened to her as she babbled on about the things she held dear to her.

...

“Well, you’ve left the flat in a bloody mess for someone doing nothing,” she muttered, sighing and looking around the room, making a mental note to at least get the scattered dishes cleaned up. Emmeline glanced back at Frank for a second and watched the slow, careless movements on the man, nudging some items off to the side when she made it into the kitchen to set the bags down.

A lot of things had changed since Alice had been killed, Emmeline couldn’t even begin to number the amount of things that had undoubtedly shifted in the world since she’d left it but it was never more evident than in the home that she had shared with her husband. Coming here was likely a mistake but Emme would have put money down on the fact that Alice would have done the same thing for someone that had been in the Order if she hadn’t been the target. After all, at one point people would have said that they were all a family.

Gathering the dishes in her arms, she glanced back over at Frank, “Are you sleeping at all?” she asked softly. The circles were growing deep underneath his eyes, the dark bruises from what she assumed was either a lack of sleep or an abundance of nightmares was more evident in his appearance than anything else. No, Emme couldn’t blame him, but she did wish that there was something that could be done that would mean he wasn’t grieving so hard still.

[spaacemusings]

                                           you’re allowed to scream                                               you’re allowed to cry                                        but you’re not allowed to give up

[balsamrps]

“Whatever you do, never run back to what broke you.”

— (via sapphic-era)

[emme-vance]

Open Para | Of Starts and Of Mixing

vntonindolohov​:

He hadn’t even been following the witch when he stumbled upon her. Antonin often came to these woods to clear his head. It was woodland that was protected from wandering muggles by enchantments which made it popular with wizarding kind. Sill, stumbling upon a code three witch all alone in the woods was certainly curious indeed. She was acting odd too, it appeared she was looking for something. 

He took a step forward so he could get a better look and crack! He’d stepped upon a twig. She spun around, her eyes wild. He could have ducked behind a tree and watched her from afar if he’d wanted to, but there was something in him that wanted to confront her. He’d love to see her try and get out of this. Her face practically was telling him that she was up to something.

Antonin stepped into the clearing and smiled.

“Out for an afternoon walk are you?” he asked, his voice low.

...

It wasn’t that Emmeline didn’t sneak around sometimes, more often than she’d think -- no, she’d been a part of the Order and she was certain that some sneaking had been done over the last few years, but it didn’t change the fact that Emmeline certainly wasn’t trained at sneaking. She was trained in healing and finding what she needed for a potion, until she’d hidden it a little too good. It would have been naive for her to think that someone wasn’t doing to be around the woods though and in these days... well, she knew that her position wasn’t in the most stable of places. 

Swallowing hard, Emmeline force a smile on her face and nodded at the man -- he was vaguely familiar and though she wasn’t entirely sure how good of a thing that was, she was pretty bloody sure that she might have just got herself into some trouble. So much for hiding plants in a good location, that’s for sure.

“I’m out for a nice break from Mungo’s and thought a stroll through the forest would be a good idea.”

[emme-vance]

bellatrixblackx​:

- 

Emmeline had a lot of nerve for someone balancing precariously in between alliances. She had been lucky enough to keep her job, many code threes had been laid off weeks prior. Bellatrix sometimes wondered if it had been a mistake to mark Emmeline so that others didn’t touch. She could no doubt use a good beating to swipe that smug air off of her. 

“Oh, but Frank’s well being is my concern,” Bellatrix reminded her. It must have been quite the blow when Longbottom had surrendered openly. Such a strong man beaten so thoroughly by grief and hopelessness. “I’m sure you must miss him.”

...

Emmeline had never learned how to keep her mouth shut -- she should have, at some point, learned to not be so stubborn, to have some sense of self-preservation. She should have learned when to back away from a challenge in front of her and when to read the room, or at least the political climate. When it really came down to it, it probably could be said that she did know how to do all of those things and yet still made the choice to ignore it. “Leave it alone, Bellatrix.”

“Just leave everything with Frank alone.” It wasn’t anger, Emme knew that she wasn’t necessarily angry at Bellatrix so much as the decision that couldn’t be rewound, the decision that had ended up costing lives and decisions that meant that they would have to bear the consequences while they were still breathing. No, Emmeline wasn’t anywhere near angry with Bellatrix like she was herself for not saying anything to anyone. “I am not going to speak about something like that with someone like you.”

[emme-vance]

mxrysmac​:

She wasn’t built for this life.  Her instinct was to trust, to believe the best in the people she cared about, but nothing about this whole situation sat right with her.  Suspicion was needed, but she already felt herself trusting Emmeline – but why shouldn’t she?  She had never given her a reason not to believe in her.

“No, it does – you get what you need.  Do you uh– need help?”  She couldn’t think of a better way to ask her that question, but she felt certain that Emmeline didn’t often venture into the Muggle world.  “it may take a bit longer to be effective, but they’ve got some good things here.”  

At her last question Mary let out a profound sigh.  “Safe is a relative term these days,” she smiled sadly.  “We’re all still moving forward though.  No one’s giving up any time soon.  At least I’m not.  Things can’t stay bad forever, right?”

...

“I just need vinegar, salt water, rose petals and hopefully some liver; they’re less expensive in... here than trying to track them down where I’d normally get them,” she muttered, fiddling with her hands for a few moments before swallowing hard. “You can help though, I didn’t see anyone else lurking about, at least for now... and I want to make sure that you’re really doing okay with everything.”

"Ever the optimist,” Emmeline said softly, letting a small smile grace her lips for a split second before she thought about all the damage that had been done, about the fact that Mary was quite literally having to hide along with a number of former Order numbers while others were left to be able to roam free even with the acknowledgement of their involvement. Merlin, Emme wasn’t sure that there was anymore looking up sometimes, not if someone didn’t do something soon.

[emme-vance]

bellatrixblackx​:

One of the things that had always amused Bellatrix about Emmeline Vance was the complete lack of control. She was always saying something to the wrong person, snapping out and then there was a pleasant look of dawning horror that followed it. In school, Bellatrix had made it very clear to her school mates that this mouse was hers and not to touch, so Emmeline had no doubt gotten used to saying what she liked without much consequence. 

Even here, sitting in public, separated by codes, Emmeline was running that mouth. Bellatrix smiled, though it didn’t reach her eyes and almost never would. “You can always walk away,” She said pleasantly, but she knew she wouldn’t. She never could. 

She even gave her a chance to continue, stirring a sugar cube into her tea, looking up and not bothering to feign surprise when Emmeline remained. “How are all your little friends? Frank seems to be at the top of his game.” 

...

It was a mistake to stay. It was a giant, huge mistake for Emmeline to stay in this place with someone like Bellatrix but it didn’t make her move and it certainly didn’t make her shift her position on her feet even. She was outranked in a lot of ways with this woman but there was only so much that could happen in public and Emme was too curious for her own good. Curious what buttons she could (and shouldn’t) push if the local was different and curious why it was that Bellatrix even acknowledged her presence. 

But in so many ways, she knew that they’d lost the war that they had knowingly fought and the woman in front of her bringing up the failure made Emmeline bristle, her eyes narrowing slightly at the mention of friends and particularly the grieving Frank. “I would imagine that it isn’t anything of your concern how they are or aren’t doing, least of all how Frank is doing, Bellatrix.”

[bakwaaas]

home cooked

[emme-vance]

Open Para | Of Starts and Of Mixing

She probably shouldn’t wander around these days, at the very minimal it wasn’t the best idea for her to be wandering around for wherever she had planted the bloody bitterroot the previous year. It had been before the Ministry had fallen and before it had been ‘reborn’; before there had been codes of access and certainly before it had ever crossed Emmeline’s mind that maybe marking the spot would have been the better idea than having to take a long walk in abandoned woods. 

It certainly wasn’t for the sake of Mungo’s that she’d made it more difficult to find, that was for sure.

Still, if she didn’t feel the need to keep her personal stores stocked with ingredients to brew potions that the Order (as if it was still alive and well) if something came up, Emme wouldn’t have been wandering around in bloody rain boots and looking for an ingredient for Exstimulo Potion that likely wouldn’t even be needed unless someone started fighting back. She hadn’t expected to hear the crack of something on the ground behind her, startled and looking around her for a sign of a person, any person, that would be a relief compared to an unknown animal.

“Hello? Is someone there?”

[emme-vance]

mxrysmac​:

…

Her whole body tensed at the sound of the familiar voice.  It wasn’t that she didn’t trust Emmeline.  She did… or, at least, she wanted to.  She wanted to turn and hug the older girl, the one that had been like her older sister.  Her whole heart was telling her that it was okay to trust her, but could she?  There were far too many former Order members who seemed to have higher codes – why?  Why were they not 4s or 5s?  It didn’t make sense to her… had they been sold out?  Had some of them made a sort of deal to turn in those who were still brave enough to fight in exchange for some form of immunity?  She didn’t think that Emmeline would do that… but she also had never thought their losing was a possibility.

Slowly she stood, grabbing the granola bars.  Her hands were shaking, but there was nothing to be done about that.  “A fair point,” she said lowly, her voice wavering slightly.  She met her eyes for just a moment before looking away.  “I’m going to go check out, but…” she trailed off.  “should we uh–” she stammered, not fully knowing what she was even asking for.  “maybe we… um.  How are you?”

She didn’t know what she had expected going into the grocery store, although Emmeline would be able to pinpoint the fact that she certainly hadn’t expected to see Mary MacDonald, not when the last time she had laid eyes on her Emmeline had wondered for weeks after whether that would likely end up being the last time. With the Order spread across Britain and no one quite sure who it was that they could trust... Emme couldn’t blame anyone for not being sure if they could trust someone still accepted in society, unsure whether they’d sold themselves out.

After all, Emmeline had the question cross her mind more than once about more than one of the Order members that she still saw when she was at Diagon Alley -- certainly the ones that had higher rankings than she had even managed. She didn’t know, however, what it was that had some member revealed and in hiding and had others still free to roam the streets, Emme wasn’t sure that she wanted to second guess it. There wasn’t a whole lot that she could even do except roll with the risk. “...I can meet you around the corner -- I was getting a few things for... the hospital,” she mumbled, swallowing hard and looking at the young woman. “That doesn’t matter -- are you okay though? Are you... safe?”

[emme-vance]

mxrysmac​:

@emme-vance​

It was grossly unfair to constantly rely on others, namely Greta, to take care of the things she needed.  Food she could manage on her own.  A few weeks ago she preferred to frequent all of the outdoor markets she could find, but running into Dorcas at one had soured that for her.  So she hopped from village to village, frequenting the grocery store at each.  If she didn’t stay in one spot for too long it would be much more difficult to track her.

It had been nearly two weeks since she had last taken Remus and Sirius some food, so it was about time she paid them another visit.  Her buggy was full of healthy foods – for herself, for Lily, for Fabian, for Remus and Sirius.  For all of those that couldn’t fully help themselves.

She was near the front of the store, bent over to examine the nutritional contents of a box of fruit snacks.  They were easily transportable, but they weren’t the healthiest option.  Maybe she’d get them anyway, they deserved a treat.

It wasn’t often that Emmeline ventured into the Muggle world -- not that she particularly avoided it outside of family events, but... there was a certain amount of avoidance that she probably should admit to if someone really pushed her. Regardless, however, there were some items that were just easier to get in a grocery store at in the Muggle world that for some reason wizards hadn’t mastered the concept of easy access and sometimes Mungo’s needed something sooner rather than later.

T-shirt and hair pulled back, she’d ventured from her flat about twenty minutes previously to take a stroll down, maybe snatch herself up a more traditional ice cream flavor that Diagon Alley just simply didn’t have. Maybe just get away from the chaos that seemed to engulf the Wizarding World these days and that Emmeline didn’t know how to escape. The vague, all too familiar shape wasn’t something she expected to see when she stepped into the market and it certainly wasn’t something that she wanted to acknowledge, glancing around the area and swallowing for a few moments before nodding.

“...the granola bars will give more energy, some of them have chocolate in them too,” she said softly, as she approached Mary, trying to keep from startling the woman.

[emme-vance]

Frank and Emmeline || Of Pushing and of Pulling

franklongbttom​:

Frank was vaguely aware of the current state of his apartment. In simple terms, it was a mess of old newspapers, clothes and even the odd toy or two. Even if he had been prepared for the company Frank wasn’t sure if he would have bothered cleaning up. He wanted to just close the door and crawl back into bed but unfortunately he knew Emmeline better than that. He was also cautious of just who might see Emmeline around his building. 

He glanced down at the bag that apparently held this food that she had brought for him. It smelled promising. Frank did love a good lasagne. He narrowed his eyes back at Emmeline. He hoped that this wasn’t an attempt to regroup the order because he was certainly going to disappoint. “I eat,” he grumbled. Although he wasn’t going to convince anyone. He ate enough to sustain him, instant noodles, frozen pizza, that sort of thing. He wasn’t sure if Emme constituted his idea of a meal as actual food so he instead decided to keep quiet.

He had now kept Emmeline at his doorstep for a little too long, simply staring down at her. He needed to make a choice, either let her in or close the door in his face. He sighed, “Alright, get on in here,” he said, finally stepping to the side to allow her enough room to pass by him.

There was certainly a particular sense of accomplishment that Frank let her in -- that he didn’t give in to the desire to just shut the door in her face and opted instead to go through and let her into the flat. Even moreso there was a sense of relief that he at least wasn’t completely shutting people out like Emmeline had a feeling he would have done when he was immediately on the heels of his family’s deaths. Frank wasn’t completely shutting everyone out, at least not at this very moment.

To a degree, Emmeline took care of people as her job, albeit in a different way than coming to someone’s home and cooking them a meal -- Emmeline spent her days mixing and cooking potions, casting charms on people, her nose in a book and looking for remedies that may not have been thought of in the past. It was seemingly engrained in her bones and certainly something that she was stubborn enough to take home with her.

“Well, it doesn’t look as much of a mess as what I figured it would,” she said with a shrug, shifting the bag in her arms and raising an eyebrow at him. “Care to loan me your kitchen and you can tell me what you’ve been up to lately? And don’t even start to say that you’ve been doing nothing, because your flat says something extraordinarily different.”