singularly gifted and uncommonly kind

[evanslilym]

Where: The Potter House

Who: @stagsandstars​

Lily had stopped to get another drink and somehow lost the birthday boy in the crowd. She took a moment to observe the large crowd that had gathered, pleased to see so many smiling and familiar faces there to celebrate James’s big day. It made her happy, to know that the boy she loved so much was so loved by others. Finally spotting the familiar head of messy hair in the distance, she made her way over to him, handing him a drink of his own and smiling. “There you are,” she said, leaning up to give him a kiss on the cheek. “Happy birthday.” She’d said it already, of course, but it seemed worth repeating. She turned back to the crowd. “It was a nice turnout, yes?”

[evanslilym]

Location: The Three Broomsticks

Who: OPEN

Lily stared at the paper in front of her, reading the headline over again, though it didn’t make things any clearer. She supposed she shouldn’t even be surprised at this point, but no matter how many front pages she had seen like this, it never got any easier to hear about. MUGGLE FAMILY MURDERED, the text read in bold black letters, a picture of the Dark Mark curling up towards the sky underneath it. With a sigh, Lily turned the paper over and took another swig of her butterbeer. At the sound of a throat clearing, she looked up with a start, just now noticing the other person standing nearby. She quickly realized that all the tables were full except for her own, and tried to push past her lingering sorrow to put on a welcoming smile. “I’m so sorry, I was lost in thought. Would you like to sit down? I’m not waiting on anyone.”

[evanslilym]

andromedaliberatas​:

        being the middle child between her sisters and the middle one between her cousins, andromeda had not been quite familiar with children until her own came into this world, so she could appreciate as few would the manner in which lily played along with nymphadora’s glee, only enhancing the sentiment in her daughter’s little body, pride at the compliments making the young child beam at the red - haired as she imitates the adult in the promise. “she quite likes the hair thing these days. watch her try to copy yours next time around,” andromeda remarks in a secretive tone, dipping her fingers in between nymphadora’s bright locks fondly. “no, red is auntie’s ! ” nymphadora vehemently enters the discussion, and andromeda snorts, tapping her fingers gently on top of the girl’s head. 

“we’re fine, right ? i was not expecting to come around, but sirius convinced me somehow, and better to see him in hogsmeade than in st mungo’s, i’d say. but then, i guess he must have vanished with james, seeing as you can’t find him either. i’ve got a little experience with that myself — merlin knows where ted is.” last she had seen him, he had stopped to chat with amos diggory about a subject nymphadora had, unceremoniously, yawned at, which had been the perfect cue to andromeda to forgoe any shred of politeness to walk away. “such is the married life, lily. you will get used to it soon.” the mirth in her tone rises as she grins in obvious display that her displeasing was but a tease — andromeda had been shoved into an arranged engagement as so many others had once, but now, so many years later, she could not imagine herself stuck in a loveless match, and from what she had seen of lily and her soon - to - be spouse, they too had been blessed with a happy union. “have you found some good deals here yet ? i fear i haven’t seen much that could fit for a good house warming gift, unless you have some of honeydukes’ newer treats on your list.” which dora did, but andromeda was less incllined to.

Lily herself, being the youngest sibling, had little experience with children herself, but since starting training at St. Mungo’s, she’ found herself to be rather good with them. Children flourished under kindness, and Lily had no shortage of that to spare. She gave little Nymphadora a wink as they locked pinkies, smiling fondly down at the young girl. She raised an eyebrow as Andromeda brought up Dora’s fondness for changing her hair, about to encourage her to try her hand at red one of these days before the little girl protested. “I’m jealous,” she told the girl instead, smiling. “I used to want to change my hair color when I was your age. Red can clash horribly with certain shades.”

She smiled at the mention of Sirius, realization dawning. “Ah, yes, now that makes sense. If I wondered that those two might have grown out of being joined at the hip since we left school, I needn’t have worried. Hopefully they won’t get themselves into too much trouble without us there to supervise,” she joked. She couldn’t help but beam a little at the mention of her own upcoming nuptials. She knew she looked a bit like a lovestruck idiot, but she found she didn’t mind so much She supposed she was one, after all. “So, looks like nothing much will change for us then. That’s good to hear.” James had a ridiculous amount of energy, yes, and she was often running after him, but she wouldn’t have him any other way. She was incredibly lucky, she knew, to have found such a great love so young and to be able to act on that love. Not everyone got that opportunity. She thought of some of the older Pureblood families insisting on arranged marriages, and couldn’t help but be incredibly grateful for her lot in life, as rotten as the prejudice may sometimes be. She nodded. “There are some wonderful deals at Gladrags I noticed, though I’m not certain how appropriate they would be for a housewarming gift. I also have spent a fair bit of time in Honeyduke’s. I had to pull myself away before I devoured the whole store.”

[evanslilym]

wolfdogsirius​:

“They most certainly didn’t forget about me.” Sirius laughed, not really blaming Lily for implying he did do it. Before Remus confessed, he actually hadn’t even been a hundred percent sure it wasn’t some random spark of unintended magic. “With all of us in a shop, they shouldn’t have been that quick to narrow it down. Even if I was closest to the shelf.” Water under the bridge, right? Or at least, it would be once he found a way to dye one of Remus’s sweaters sparkling rainbow. “Would I be a caricature of myself if I said Zonkos? I wanna say hi to Elena, if she’s still working there.” 

Lily clucked her tongue and shook her head. “It was downright discriminatory of them, you’re right. And you have such an innocent face, as well,” she said with a playful smile. She rolled her eyes fondly when he mentioned Zonko’s and replied, “Yes, you would be, but I suppose I’ll go along with it. Only because I feel bad about your unlawful banishment from Scrivenshaft’s.” She tilted her head thoughtfully. “Y’know, before Seventh Year I don’t think I ever set foot in Zonko’s. I always knew you lot would be a terrible influence on me.”

[evanslilym]

ofnarcissas​:

—

You’d know all about that, I’m sure… The words had been just on the tip of her tongue, ready to come out in a sneer if she hadn’t stopped herself first. If she had been smarter, she would have looked up before she had spoken at all, but she knew better than to cause a scene. Instead, Narcissa painted on a polite smile as she glanced around at Lily. “Well if it’s the colour you’re drawn to, then why not.” She offered with a small shrug of her shoulder. “Hello. I’m doing very well thank you, and yourself? Enjoying the festivities?” 

Lily wasn’t a fool. She knew what exactly it was likely that Narcissa wanted to say to her, but this Black sister was nothing if not polite and charming, so Lily’s pointed comment about Muggles garnered no reaction. She forced a polite smile. “I fear that James must be rubbing off on me. He takes the words ‘house pride’ to a whole new level. If he could paint the whole world scarlet and gold, I reckon he would.” She smiled genuinely now, despite herself, gaze soft with fondness. “I am, actually. Hogsmeade is beautiful this time of year.”

[evanslilym]

stagsandstars​:

          He didn’t want to think about all the difficult times they were about to go through. James didn’t want to think that someone he was close with wasn’t going to make it through this war. Right now he had a good life and it was only going to get better when he married Lily. “Hey now, I only ever did that to get your attention and clearly it worked if you’re still bringing it up.” Third year was before he realized that all his teasing and pranking Lily was because he liked her. “Since you have all the ideas, I’ll be sure to always be ready for a prank.” He grinned. Even if she never pranked him, he’d always be on his toes. “It’s not that big, so I don’t know what you’re talking about. It’s not… that big.” Honestly, it was bigger than some people’s yards. James figured that fifty or so people would be a stretch on it. “Yeah, safer that way.” He didn’t like thinking about that. James didn’t want a large wedding anyway. He’d be happy with just his own friends, Lily’s, and their families. He didn’t want to think that something would go wrong because they got married. James wanted the wedding to be a happy event. “I grew on you?” he laughed, a mock offended look on his face. “I didn’t want to be rude, but sure, what you said is also kind of the truth.” 

Lily laughed. “You certainly got my attention, alright,” she said with a fond, exasperated smile. “Just maybe not in the way you’d hoped.” As frustrated as she could sometimes be with him, she never truly hated or even really disliked James, not even after the pranks and the teasing, not even after the Black Lake incident. She’d seen what a loyal friend he was, and how kind he could be when he wanted to, and she supposed she’d placed high expectations on him because she’d always known he could be better if he wanted to be. She grinned back. “You should probably do that. I’ve been told I have quite the imagination. I’ll strike when you least expect it,” she joked, not meaning a word of it. She raised an eyebrow. “James, love, it may not be that big to you, but to most other people, it’s still quite a large yard.” She gave him a sad little smile when he confirmed that things would be safer with a smaller wedding. She would’ve wanted a small wedding anyway, but it still stung that they had no other choice because some people hated the fact that they were in love. “You sure did,” she confirmed, grinning unapologetically, She waved off his concern. “You’ll be family soon. That means you can insult Petunia all you want.”

[evanslilym]

terrorandmight​:

          Amycus probably was one of the more dangerous people she’d ever meet. He was that way because he like violence. When it came down to it, Amycus didn’t care who a person was. If they pissed him off, they pissed him off. Blood status didn’t matter to him. Violence was violence. He’d pledged himself to the Death Eaters because they were violent. He wasn’t better at dark magic. “Maybe the person that has the bad news should just deliver the news and not use a proxy, but that’s my opinion.” Really, people should know not to give him bad news. He tended to explode. “I don’t understand what that means.” Honestly, sometimes he wondered how he’d managed to get so far in life. Learning things frustrated him. Thankfully, between him and Alecto, one of them was intelligent. “That sounds nice, I suppose. I don’t think that kind of life is for me.” He didn’t want to fall in love. It made a person stupid and he saw no reason to pledge himself to one person for the rest of his life. “Cynical is just another way to say realistic.” It was true. People were dying for their opinions. “Just a bit intense.” They’d get worse and that’s what he was counting on. “I do. She is my twin.” 

Lily, though she probably didn’t look it, could be plenty dangerous on her own if crossed. The difference was that she was never violent for violence’s sake, only in defense of herself or another. People often underestimated her because of her kind nature, but she could be a force to be reckoned with once her temper was unleashed. She shrugged a little at his statement, saying, :I suppose that might be true. But even still, it’s not the fault of the person delivering the message. Besides, sometimes it’s just not possible to deliver it yourself.” She opened her mouth to explain what she meant by ‘figure of speech’ before shaking her head and deciding to leave it alone. “Never mind, then. It’s not important.” She nodded. “It’s certainly not for everyone. I’m a firm believer that you don’t have to find love to have a fulfilling life. Still, it can be nice when you do.” Lily was an optimist at heart. She had to be, to take the position she had taken within this war. She had to believe there was a chance for things to be better. She shrugged. “Agree to look at it differently then.” She brightened when he mentioned his sister. “Oh, you have a twin? I always wanted one when I was younger. I have a sister, too. She’s older, though.” And of course, they weren’t nearly as close as this man and his sister seemed to be, but he probably didn’t care to know that. 

[evanslilym]

pandoramortis​:

–

“Afraid I’m not known for my musical ability. I mostly came for the butterbeer.” Pandora said, shaking her head immediately. She was almost acutely aware of how far she strayed from the wealthy Slytherin stereotype. More than half of the people she’d come across in the short time she’d been at Hogwarts had been given music lessons, proficient in the violin or the piano or whatever stereotypical instrument they’d been trained it. She looked over at her. “Evans, is it?”

Lily held up her own glass of butterbeer. “Cheers to that,” she said with a grin, taking a long swig of her drink. She bit down on the urge to say ‘It’ll be Potter actually, soon,’ like a lovesick schoolgirl and smiled. “That’s me,” she replied. “And you’re Pandora, right?” She knew, of course. Lily made a habit of knowing as many names as she could of the students she went to school with, both because she was Head Girl and because that was just the type of person she was. “How are you enjoying the festivities?”

[evanslilym]

dahliaparkinson​:

dahlia wasn’t familiar with the girl, so she knew that she wasn’t pureblooded, not that she had ever had any reservations about someone’s blood status. however, from what she knew of those outside her circle they didn’t tend to marry quite so early. so this girl must have been in love. it disgusted her. “bit young to get married don’t you think?” she says, giving her opinion which she knew was most likely unwanted. she didn’t really care, allowing herself to say whatever as the other had disrupted her day and given her an injury to boot. she might have even exacerbated her already existing hip injury, which suddenly called her attention with a sharp, shooting pain. “just tell me how to do it,” she says through her teeth, flushing slightly, both from pain and embarrassment that she had forgotten a spell that could be considered simple first aid in her field. she really was out of practice and she hated it. “i don’t like being at the end of a stranger’s wand. knowing your name doesn’t make you any less of one.” 

Lily managed to shrug good-naturedly at the question, although she bristled a little at the judgement she could hear in the other woman’s tone. “Probably,” she acknowledged. “But when you know, you know, right? Besides, with things getting as crazy as they are now, it seems like we should live as much life as we can, while we can.” She was referring, of course, to the growing tensions in the wizarding world surrounding blood status and blood purity. She knew that some people were unconcerned about the whole thing, although she couldn’t imagine how that could be. Perhaps for the people it didn’t affect, it was easier to ignore. Lily would never know. She’d been destined for this fight since the moment she was born. She nodded in reluctant agreement when the other demanded that she tell her how to fix her injury on her own. “That’s understandable, I suppose. I’d usually use a salve to treat a burn like that, but if you’re in a rush, a quick episkey should do the trick.” 

[evanslilym]

ofamelias​:

—

There had always been a soft spot for Hogsmeade Village in Amelia’s heart, but upon arrival that the winter market, she couldn’t help but be reminded of why she tended to only visit during their quieter days. The village was teeming with witches and wizards from all over, but rightly so. It was always such a magical place when it was hosting events, and despite the discomfort she felt in large crowds, it was nice to take some time away from work in an attempt to enjoy the various festivities. 

Amelia had been glancing around at the various stalls along the street when she suddenly found herself bumping in to a familiar redhead. “Oh, yes I’m fine, no need to worry. Are you okay?”

Lily smiled when she realized who she’d bumped into, pleased to see the other woman, despite the circumstances. “Oh, hello, Amelia, how are you?” she asked pleasantly. Waving off her concern, she replied easily, “I’m alright as well, just nursing a bruised ego.” She glanced around her for a moment, searching, before sighing. “I’m so sorry about that again, I was looking for James, but he seems to have disappeared somewhere...” Sighing, she said, “Oh, well. What brings you to Hogsmeade?”

[rp-finder-acct]

Reunion

Location: St. Mungo’s Who: @evanslilym​

The lobby of St. Mungo’s was as it usually was with witches and wizards moaning in discomfort as they waited to be checked into a room. Severus scowled in his chair, having checked in nearly 45 minutes ago, with a lazy bandaged wrapped around his thigh. It burned like hell and the man half wondered if the potion would have eaten down to the bone by the time he was seen by the medi-witch or wizard. He hadn’t wanted to come in the first place. He knew how to brew every salve and potion in the hospital’s stock, and likely did since they were a regular client of the apothecary. But, his master at the apothecary, already displeased with the accident, had insisted. If for no other reason than to get him out of his hair. The repairs and lost materials would come out of Severus’ pockets for sure.

It was a careless mistake. Too much blood of manticore was obviously going to shatter the cauldron, but Severus had been… distracted. “Severus Snape?” An elderly medi-witch called his name, tapping her foot on the stone floor. A few moments passed in silence. Oh for the love of- “Severus S-” He half raised himself off the chair. “Woman, if you had even looked at my chart you’d have known that I am in no condition to be strolling through the hospital.” He snapped, gesturing to his wound which had begun to spread past his bandage. The medi-witch didn’t reply, likely used to his type of patient, but simply conjured a stretcher.

At last, several minutes later, he’d found himself in a room and he was anxious to not spend a minute longer in it than he had to. Hearing the door begin to open, he kept his back to it, and busied himself with removing his trousers and unwrapping the bandages. “Listen, all I need is someone competent enough to provide me with this list of salves followed by a vial of Blood Replenishing Potion and I can get on with my day already.”

[evanslilym]

Lily looked up in surprise from the salve she was brewing when Dorothea, one of the older witches who worked at the hospital, stopped by her station and called her name to get her attention. Smiling down at her, she said, “Lily, love, we have a patient with a potion burn that needs to be seen as quickly as possible, and since we’re understaffed, and you have so much experience with Potions, would you mind-”

Lily was up and moving before the older woman could even finish the question. “Of course,” she said, setting aside her salve. The other witch smiled and handed Lily the patient’s chart and told her what room to go to, and Lily set off at a brisk pace. This was the first time she’d been asked to handle a patient on her own, and she was determined to prove herself competent. She was so bust trying to memorize the information about the wound that she didn’t even glance at the patient’s name or realize that she recognized the handwriting almost as much as her own until she was already in the room. 

She was silent for a moment, as she took in Severus’s face for the first time since graduation. She wanted the ground to swallow her up right then and there anything to get her out of this situation. She didn’t want to see him, and she certainly didn’t want to talk to him. Still, she remembered her determination to prove herself, and managed a cold “Severus,” with a tight nod. She moved to take the list of salves from him with her left hand (realizing too late that it gave him a perfect view of her engagement ring), looking down at it with a raised eyebrow. “I wasn’t aware you’d decided to become a healer, Severus,” she said dryly. “Why don’t I take a look at the wound first and then we can decide what kind of treatment you need. How did this happen?” She knew from the chart, of course, but she’d been taught that making conversation was an important part of any healer’s job. Besides, details were often left out on the forms.

[wolfdogsirius]

“No, I’m still banned from Scrivenshaft’s.” Sirius had never taken that particularly seriously and it showed, but he wasn’t in the mood to cause trouble for some shopworker by trying to challenge that again. “I swear on Merlin’s leather trousers that I had absolutely nothing to do with the exploding ink, but they’ve just about got my picture on a wanted poster in there.”

[evanslilym]

Lily raised an eyebrow. “Still? I would’ve thought they’d lifted that once we were out of school. Then again, it is you, and you’ve never been ones to do things halfway,” she teased, a smile playing on her lips. She laughed. “Given your track record, can you entirely blame them? Exploding ink does sound like something you would do.” She faked a long-suffering sigh, and then said, “Alright, then. Where should we go instead?”

[evanslilym]

regblackx​:

-

A second passed before he even acknowledged her reply, leaning back in his chair rather leisurely, like he wasn’t planning on how to best cause her pain in such a crowded public setting. The knife in his pocket was always an option but, despite being notoriously private and never speaking ill of people where he could be heard, the mark on his arm would immediately say what he’d done was intentional. Like a knife to the thigh could be anything but. When she didn’t appear to be in any rush to leave, he sighed. “Fine, I suppose.” He actually enjoyed trivia, always thinking of himself as the smartest person in the room, but he wasn’t so sure he wanted to be forced into conversation with her. Then again, what else was he supposed to do while he had his drink? “Don’t expect me to give you all the answers.”

-

Something about the look on Regulus’s face gave her pause, and she contemplated making her excuses and leaving, before deciding she was being silly. Even if he wished her harm (and really, she had absolutely no evidence that he did) it’s not like he would try anything in a public, crowded place like this...right? She was just being paranoid. She forced a smile when he agreed to share the table and take part in the game, and she felt some of her anxieties relax. “Excellent!” she said. “Two bright heads are better than one, I’ve always found.” And it was true. Although they weren’t in the same Year or House, Lily thought she remembered from school that Regulus was very gifted, like her. She laughed lightly at his statement, insisting, “Don’t worry, I can definitely pull my own weight.” She wasn't top of her class and Head Girl for nothing. “So, how are you, Regulus? What are you up to these days?”

[evanslilym]

offortescue​:

Alice smiled brightly, pulling Lily into a quick, tight hug. Anyone who knew Alice knew that she was a tactile being. Her affection, her support, her anything came through actions rather than words, mostly because sometimes she got so tongue tied that evne though she knew what she wanted to say, she couldn’t get it out. “Don’t be silly, you’ve got nothing to apologise for. I’ve had much worse of a collision,” she told her, a warm smile on her lips. A chuckle left her lips. “How am I not surprised that he’s darted off somewhere?” she asked. “Want me to help you look for him?” Alice offered. “We’re both great, thank you. And work is going really well. Busy, and all hours of the day but… it really makes it better that we’re doing it together,” she admitted with a smile. “It’s still such a boys club though,” she admitted. “So I’ll definitely have to do somethng about that,” she added. “And you? How are you? How are things?” she asked.

Lily returned the hug fiercely, used to Alice’ s physical displays of affection and grateful for them. Lily herself was more one to use words to show her affection for those she loved, but she also wasn’t one to turn down a good hug when one was needed or desired. She smiled sheepishly. “Still, I should’ve been paying much more attention to where I was going. Imagine if it hadn’t been you I’d bumped into.” She laughed. “Probably because you know him,” she joked of her fiancé. “He never could stay still very long,” she remarked fondly. “I wouldn’t mind the company, no, if you’re sure you don’t have something more important to be doing.” With that she linked her arm with her friend’s and made started to make their way down the street. She smiled. “I’m glad to hear it! Give Frank my love, will you, I haven't seen him in a while.” She was closer with Alice, but she adored Frank as well. “That sounds wonderful,” she said, of the two working together, then laughed. “Well, if anyone can do something about that, you can. I pity the poor soul who tries to get in tour way,” she joked. Lily thought for a moment. “I’m good, really. I’m busy with work and with wedding planning, but I’m...I’m just really very happy. Happier than I ever thought I could be.”

[ofnarcissas]

where: winter market stalls, hogsmeade village who: open

One thing that Narcissa liked about seasonal markets was the wide variety of items for sale that you wouldn’t normally get any other time of the year. During this particular trip to Hogsmeade, she had been able to pick up a few bits and bobs and was perusing a stall of handmade scarves when she felt someone approach her side. “It’s almost hard to believe that no magic was involved in making these… See any that you like?”

[evanslilym]

Lily was browsing idly and had just made her way to a stall of scarves when a voice startled her out of her thoughts. Looking up, she blinked in surprise to to see Narcissa Black, wondering if the other witch even realized who she was speaking to. “It is amazing what can be managed with Muggle methods, yes,” she said politely, if a little stiffly. “I think I’ll get this red one. Cliché, I know, but it matched my hair. Hello, Narcissa. How are you?”

[greenshawled]

LOCATION: Hogs Head, Hogsmeade Village AVAILABILITY: Open

SHRUGGING HER SHAWL DOWN HER SHOULDERS,   Emmeline glared down at the snow already covering her Dragonhide boots,   inhaling deep the strong, musty scent of stone and goats  (  she’d long since gotten used to Aberforth’s tendency to let his horned ‘friends’ roam freely,  though the smell still could almost knock her off her feet.  It was rather funny to her that the smell of blood or guts or anything like that had never turned her stomach, but goats of all things were her weakness.  )

The Winter Market and the related festivities  –  too drunk,   too comfortable,   wizards almost breaking the statute of secrecy  –  was a yearly occurrence now,  and she’d just gotten off duty but was still too awake to sleep, so here she was.  Joining the festivities.  “  Excuse me.  ”  She cleared her throat,  brown eyes focusing on the person standing before her,  blocking her way to the bar.  She shared a glance with the barkeep,  half rolling her eyes.  She just wanted a drink.  One single bloody drink.

[evanslilym]

Lily wasn’t one to frequent the Hog’s Head pub, usually preferring The Three Broomsticks and a butterbeer, but she’d been getting rather cold out there, and any drink would do to warm her up. The firewhisky burned its way down her throat, but it soaked its way into her frozen limbs, and that was all she needed. She was contemplating ordering another before a voice was heard behind her. 

“Oh!” she said, quickly moving out of the way when she realized she was blocking someone. “I’m so sorry about that, you go ahead.” She blinked when she recognized Emmeline and smiled, although she lowered her voice. “Emmeline! How are you? What brings you to the Winter Market?” From what Lily knew about the other witch, it didn’t really seem to be her type of scene. 

[pandoramortis]

open mic | open

where: hogwarts festivities who: pandora & OPEN

Pandora had graduated from Hogwarts less than a year ago. She’d really only attended for two years. She really had no reason to be so nostalgic. No reason to feel an ache in her chest when she passed by The Three Broomsticks and heard a soft melody spilling into the street. As she looked through the window, her eyes fell on a single mug of butterbeer, mouth watering at the sight of the sweet dessert. How long had it been since she’d had one? Months, surely.

She gently pushed the door open, as if she were afraid to make herself known. She took a place towards the corner of the pub, where only one other person stood.

“It’s not awful,” She said in reference to the music. She avoided eye contact, choosing to keep her eyes on the performer. “Are you performing?”

[evanslilym]

Lily applauded loudly as the performer finished up their song, throwing in some cheers for good measure. She was nestled into a table near the door to The Three Broomsticks and looked up when she heard the voice. She laughed. “Oh, definitely not! I’m a dreadful singer, my performances are strictly for the shower only. It’s best for everyone involved.” She smiled and tilted her head. “What about you? Are you planning to get up there?”