We're not bruised they're just party tattoos.

Gwen Jones, kinda a Quidditch Prodigy. // Scandalous yet Adorable.

[gwentheharpy-archive]

[august-infandum]

Location: Ministry of Magic - Outside the Department of Mysteries Date: May (early) Time: Evening With: Open Starter

There was a small office located next to the door that led to the department of mysteries. It was the office the unspeakables used to collect their thoughts, document their findings and record everything in files in cabinets that had no ends to them. It was also a place that they came to when the day had been too much or they had seen more than they were able to cope with. It was in there that Augustus stood for a few moments, eyes scanning a report as he collected his thoughts for the end of the day.

His week had been entirely unpredictable and showed no signs of stopping. He would cope as he always did, he reasoned, but sometimes he wished he could catch a break, or go out on a hunt, but they had been forbidden to do that. Sighing in frustration as he thought over the word ‘forbidden’, he threw the file down onto the desk, and left through the small office door, closing it behind him and locking it tight. Only Unspeakables were allowed inside and no exceptions could be made.

Turning to leave for the night, he did a double take as he caught sight of someone up ahead, with their back to him. They weren’t wearing uniform. Frowning he took several steps towards them as he was heading that way anyway and called out, “you looking for someone or did you take a wrong turn and get yourself lost?”

[gwentheharpy-archive]

It a rare occurrence that Gwen came to visit her girlfriend at work. They both had such busy schedules, and she was not exactly a fan of this place. But it had taken them so long to settle on a flat, that when the owl had finally dropped off the lease for them to sign she didn't want to wait. Gwen was still apprehensive about the whole thing, but it was better moving forward than staying still.

Unfortunately, the problem with not coming to visit Amelia at work all that often meant she was utterly, hopelessly lost in the maze that was the ministry. It didn't help that Amelia had technically just changed jobs, so navigating her way through the offices was no easy task for Gwen. She heard a call behind her and turned round. "Yeah, sorry," she rubbed the back of her neck sheepishly, "I think I must've got out of the elevator on the wrong floor?"

"I'm looking for Amel- Miss Bones?" she faltered on the name, recognising at the last second it was probably better to be a little more formal. "She's in the-" Gwen grit her teeth slightly, "the Office for the Protection of Muggleborn Children?" She wondered, briefly, if her discomfort at her girlfriend's place of employment showed on her face. Gwen was still working on making her peace with it, in truth. She didn't want to fight over it anymore but she was hardly a stone's throw from happy about it.

[gwentheharpy-archive]

littlestbones:

“You don’t like the floor,” Amelia deadpanned. “I –” She didn’t know what else to say so she simply left it at that and shook her head. Issues with the houses were supposed to be a minor setback. She had been treating them as such but the more ridiculous the issue seemed, the more nervous it made her.

She gave Gwenog the space she needed, chewing her lip while she kept quiet. It wouldn’t do either of them any good if she tried to dominate the conversation. There was no reason to – regardless of how desperately she wished for their talk to go smoothly.

Amelia’s gaze fell on Gwen when she finally spoke, her stomach twisting in knots. She didn’t move at first. Her teeth dug into her lower lip and she wrapped her arms around her middle. Amelia gave a nod then walked toward where Gwenog stood. There was a moment of hesitation before she closed the distance between them and lightly tugged her close to her, arms resting on Gwen’s shoulders.

“I know,” Amelia sighed. “And I would have worn heels if I’d known we were going to have this talk.” She added with a nervous laugh. “Then I– I wouldn’t have to feel like I’m on my toes for –” Her thought trailed off and she leaned up to press a kiss to Gwen’s cheek. “I know it’s a lot lovie, but I…”

She took a step back then grabbed hold of Gwenog’s hands, looking up at her with a nervous smile. “I’m serious about this – about us. And I-” Amelia paused and squeezed Gwen’s hands. “You mean more to me than the Ministry, Gwenog. As stupid as I am for staying there but I- I want this.” She pulled one of her hands back to gesture at the room they were standing in. “Something permanent with the two of us– A future. Or at the very least, someplace we can hide away in when the chaos around us seems too much.”

Her arms looped loosely around Amelia’s waist and Gwen rested her forehead against her shoulder. “If it’s any consolation, it’s not the talk I had in mind, shortcake” she returned a smile, leaning back again to look at her. Gwen closed her eyes and let out a breath she didn’t know she was holding when Amelia kissed her cheek. 

She had wanted to talk about the fight. Apologise for how she’d gone flying off the handle. Her temper getting the best of her once again. Gwen could practically hear her coach half the time - hot-headedness isn’t a good trait for a national captain, Jones. But she wasn’t on the pitch or playing games with Amelia. Amelia had made a big decision, and it hadn’t included her though of course it would probably end up effecting her, and it put an uncomfortable slant on things. Dredging up her perception of Amelia’s old work-before-personal attitude. Reminding her why - however subconsciously - she was so hesitant to settle on a new home for the both of them.

Gwen swallowed a lump in her throat, eyes downcast as she nodded. Taking in all that Amelia had said as she worked out an answer. “I do know that. Like, rationally, sensibly I know that you’re serious and I’m serious, and you’re not going to just… up and leave or something.” Her fears were silly. Amelia had been the one to suggest moving in together, and the concern was age old by now. The hesitancy Gwen had was just something that had simmered throughout the property viewings but it had boiled to the surface in the fight - when Amelia picked the Ministry even when they were so backwards in their ideas. 

“And you’re not stupid,” Gwen muttered, finally conceding to something she’d known all along but been refusing to admit. “You’re a good person and I do know that too, even if I was acting like I didn’t.” It upset her now as much as it had on the night that she’d been able to doubt Amelia for even a second where that was concerned. “And I… Well, I want to be here for you. I realised that while I was busy being a grumpy idiot this week.” A self-deprecating chuckle had Gwen looking more like her usual self just for a second before she sighed.

“You want a future with me, and I want one with you,” Gwen dragged a hand through her hair. It was as if she was sounding it out. Voicing everything going through her head aloud did help her to process it, she was sure. “The fact that I’m shit scared to live with you isn’t just going to go away but I do want to do it,” she muttered eventually, “Or I... Well, I guess I’d never have said yes at all.”

[gwentheharpy-archive]

littlestbones:

It needed a walk-in closet. That was something that could be easily dealt with by casting an expanding charm. Other than that one unnecessary detail, Amelia could see the place serving as home– Something more permanent if she and Gwen could get past the petty arguing and getting annoyed at each other.

She hadn’t heard Gwen at first since she was set on looking the place over. It was what they had come to do after all and if it meant avoiding the explosion from weeks back so be it. The main thing to keep her calm was the fact that they weren’t arguing. Certainly, they weren’t talking but the awkward silence could give her some hope.

Her breath caught in the back of her throat when Gwen spoke, her eyebrows furrowing together. “Only alright?” Amelia nearly rolled her eyes. Gwen had a way of nitpicking every location apart to a point where she nearly lost hope in looking at all. She bit back a scoff then shifted to look at her.

“It’s what we are here for, isn’t it?” Amelia quirked a brow. They could discuss the argument in the moment spent alone but she wanted nothing to do with talking if it meant getting told off again. It took everything in her power to keep from rolling her eyes and seeming like she was ready to argue with Gwen. Of course, she wanted to talk. They needed to talk. Amelia simply hoped it would be more than bringing up the argument that left Gwen ignoring her for several days. “We can talk,” She sighed, a frown creasing her lips. “But I– Gwen, I need you to tell me why you find something wrong with every place we look at.”

Sighing, Gwen refused to huff at Amelia’s opposing assessment of the place. “Fine it’s- nice? It’s just...” She looked round again, and there was still the same uncomfortable squirm about living here that she’d felt in all the other places. “I don’t like the floor?” she hated how it sounded like a question. “And the walls make it look too... enclosed.” It was not her best excuse to date.

“I don’t-” she started to protest, but quickly swallowed it because she knew it might start another argument. Wrapping her arms around herself, Gwen looked far smaller in that moment than Amelia did. Biting her lip she turned round, walking over to the wide window the main bedroom boasted.

She wasn’t sure why none of the houses was right, and some of her grievances had been real - from the house with the funny smell that seemed to linger in every single room, to the one with a ceiling corner full of damp barely concealed by a wardrobe. But, if she considered it, every time she thought about actually settling on a place with Amelia there was this funny twisting in her gut. So, something was wrong with each location, and that was far easier to contemplate when it came to further delaying their moving in together. 

Taking a deep breath, she said “Ithinkit’sbecauseI’mscaredtomoveinwithyou.” Her words were very quick, almost too difficult to catch. There was safety, in not sharing a lease, a bedroom, bathroom and whole bloody house with Amelia. Having a key to the other’s place was leaps and bounds away from actually living together. Turning around, she had that air of vulnerability that was so rare. The confidence issues that only really shone through around the people she trusted. “It’s not just your new job, or the fight. I’m bloody terrified because this is- It’s a lot, Ames.” 

[gwentheharpy-archive]

littlestbones:

She expected explaining things to Edgar to be the most trying part of her week and that had yet to happen. Slight bickering with Gwenog was easy to handle. The snapping simply made any bit of confidence Amelia had left in her choice fade away.

“It is just me being curious,” Amelia chewed her lower lip. Her voice shook and gave away how uncertain she was in proving her point. “I have nothing to gain from it.” Her eyebrows furrowed together then she took a steadying breath and nodded. “Yes,” She sighed. “But hear me out before you start again. I– I believe the information will be of use to me at some point and while I–” She hesitated and shook her head. “I don’t have a plan yet but I will come up with something.”

It was a matter of playing the role of someone who cared too much about their work to see past how despicable the new legislation well. She would be able to play that well and act oblivious– at least for a little while. “The majority that disagrees with the legislation are going to need people on the inside to put a stop to it. It almost makes me wonder if there’s a way to strip the Minister’s power like he did to the Wizengamot.”

She hated arguing more than anything else. Especially when Gwen was now the one that was right. “I am well aware of what you are saying but it isn’t me being complicit.”  She paused and took a few steadying breaths. “At least  it won’t be once I’m handed something that  isn’t just  some bullshit to make department seem legitimate.”

“You gained a fucking promotion, didn’t you?” Gwen snapped again, biting her lip as soon as she did. Amelia looked so hurt and she hated it. Gwen absolutely loathed that her words were hurting Amelia right now, but she was struggling to wrap her head around the move Amelia had made still. Trying to believe what she’d said about staying inside to fight it. To make it crumble from within.

The problem was not that Gwen didn’t think Amelia capable of doing that. Gwen believed Amelia was capable of just about anything she set her mind to. No, the problem lay in her still shaky trust of Amelia’s character. Amelia had always put her job first. She’d broken Gwen’s heart when they were barely 18 for the sake of a job she didn’t have yet. She’d insisted they not be anything more than a hook up for years as adults because her job came first. How was Gwen to be sure this wasn’t just Amelia’s job coming first, again?

“That’s what it feels like,” Gwen said sullenly, resentful of the diplomatic phrasing Amelia used. It felt like Amelia - pureblood Amelia - was complicit in the now systematic discrimination of people of ‘lesser blood’. People like Gwen’s father. The thought burned through her like acid because she knew Amelia deserved more credit. She was too sweet, too kind to hate people because of their blood. Gwen knew that wasn’t why she was part of it. 

It almost brought a smile to Gwen’s lips when she heard Amelia refer to the apartment as bullshit, but it wasn’t long before she was scowling again. Turning, her hands clenched round the counter top as she took another deep breath. She was hot-headed, it was true, but she was determined not to snap again that night. Determined. “God, do you know how difficult it is to wrap my head around this, Ames? Could- could you not at least have talked to me first? Given me some warning?

[gwentheharpy-archive]

mck-tt-n:

Marlene chuckled a little at Gwenog’s reply, the first smile on her lips ever since she’d started talking. With a sigh, she moved to sit down next to her friend on the sofa, her head lolling back onto the headrest behind her. “Yeah, I get it. At least you said you loved me, even if Amelia’s your first person and all”, she said, chuckling again as she patted Gwenog’s leg appreciatively. Marlene slowly turned her head to look over at her, both of them now sitting with their head’s rolled back. “I honestly don’t know. I mean, I’m sure there’s people like Amelia, who must hate what they do but have no other way but to keep their head down. But the rest? I don’t know”, Marlene sighed, shaking her head slightly as she closed her eyes for a second and took a deep breath to calm her nerves.

“I want to do something so bad. Just storm in there and try to get as close as I can to confronting the minister. But… we can’t. We just can’t and I’m not sure if I’ve ever heard of something more heartbreaking than little kids being ripped away from their families just so those damned blood supremacists can keep feeling good about themselves.”

“Well, you can always be my back-up wife, McKinnon,” Gwen said teasingly, smirking across at Marlene. She was easy to be around, especially when you were feeling low. Even in spite of the age gap, it was no wonder the two were close. Plus, Gwen always had great respect for anybody that had played Quidditch with her in school. She frowned as she remembered they were talking about the ministry, the furrow in her brow deepening when Marlene brought up Gwen’s girlfriend. “I’m not even sure she does hate it, y’know?” she sighed. It was the largest point of contention in their relationship; Amelia’s work. “I think it would be like- like me hating Quidditch.”

Gwen thought about it, chewing her lip. “You know, between the two of us we probably could scrape together a protest,” she mused, but knew immediately that her manager would probably never let her do something so public. Leave the politics to the politicians. “It’s just... shit. It’s so shit, I can’t believe they’ve even done it.”

[littlestbones]

Amelia hadn’t studied her shoes this much since the day she accidentally knocked her mother’s favorite vase over. Small talk with the realtor had gone well until asked where Gwenog was. The question earned a sheepish expression and her shrugging then suggesting they wait until the scheduled viewing time since she had shown up early.

She should have sent a text to see if she was still interested in going. Not trusting herself to handle rejection over scrolls made her decide to leave it to chance. She was pleasantly surprised to have her show up, Amelia gravitating toward her side almost immediately. She chanced grazing her fingers over the back of Gwen’s hand, surprised when that turned into holding hands throughout the majority of their viewing the second floor. The two were given a few minutes of alone time to “think about the layout. Amelia spent the first half of it slowly taking in the room that would serve as the master bedroom.

The two were too quiet for her liking and she hadn’t wanted to be the first one to break the silence. It was too awkward not to though so she took a deep breath and chanced turning toward Gwen. “It’s roomier than the last place we looked at,” She sighed and wrapped her arms around her middle. “And we would be by the coast. That’s…” Amelia let her thought trail off, shifting forward to check the closet space.

@gwentheharpy

[gwentheharpy-archive]

Surprise had been the mood of the day so far. At first, Gwen was surprised she’d decided to come at all, even if it was for the best, and even more so when she found her fingers linking through Amelia’s in a way that was achingly familiar and comfortable. She didn’t pay much attention to the house; she was quiet rather than inquisitive, for once. Then they were alone and awkwardness crept over them like a blanket.

“Amelia…” Gwen sighed as her girlfriend started to ramble, but she didn’t hear or just ignored her - Gwen wasn’t sure. “Amelia.” She tried again, firmer, but it was fruitless as Amelia went to check on the closet space available in this location. Rolling her eyes, she followed after her, glancing around the room again to work out if she herself liked it or not. Because, apparently, that was the more important topic right now.

“It’s alright? I suppose...“ It was ideal. Gwen was just being unusually picky when it came to picking a house. This was nothing new, of course, Amelia would be well used to Gwen managing to find something not quite right with every house. From the kitchen window not being big enough to not liking the layout of the living room to the bedroom being too large. Her excuses were getting ridiculous, and Gwen herself wasn’t even sure of why none of the houses was right yet.

She was sure her present discomfort came from not having yet discussed the massive fight they’d had so recently, but they were still viewing houses together. Really, Gwen was not the type to just sit on this, she’d rather have it discussed, in the open. She grabbed one of Amelia’s hands and pulled her search to a stop. “Is- Are you really going to act like looking round another mediocre house is your top priority right now? Talk to me, Ames. We need to talk. I-” she swallowed thickly because, being honest, she was the reason they’d not properly talked in days. “I want to talk.”

[gwentheharpy-archive]

Scrolls {open}

Clementine: gotta give yourself a point for knowing that

Clementine: most just say 'thats an unusual name' or 'that suits you'

Clementine: shhh mum

Gwen: Our coach always has them at training

Gwen: Can't play sports without your energy, can't have energy without good healthy food

Gwen: and don't be rude to your mother xoxo

[gwentheharpy-archive]

littlestbones:

Amelia never felt as small as she did up until Gwen asked how far was too far. There was no easy way of answering that (surely Gwen knew that) and the dig was enough to leave her silent while she bandaged Gwenog’s finger. There was no logical way to explain it that didn’t come down to her only belonging at the Ministry or only leaving when her parents decided their legacy was less important than the rest of the world’s rights. As selfish as it was, her biggest fear was leaving and not being allowed back into the building that served as her home for the last five years. She didn’t know anything besides it and the idea of something new was terrifying. She had to make do with the familiar.

It wasn’t a fair question and Amelia was far too nervous to answer it. She couldn’t come up with anything on the spot, needing to blink several times to keep the tears from welling up in her eyes. Arguing was always something she was good at until it came to her being the one that was told she was in the wrong.

The silence was eating away at her but she would not allow herself to lash out at Gwen. “I still believe that Gwenog,” She let her gaze fall on her girlfriend, needing a deep breath before she continued. “And I agree with everything you said about the legislation.” As calm as she tried to seem, there was still the occasional shake to her voice. “It’s barbaric and I – I want to see what they are up to with it. So forgive me for being over-curious, but think about – There must be some sort of worth to not being in the dark about it.” What she would do if she found any information that could help take down the new legislation was a whole different question in itself, but she would figure that out when and if the time came for it.

“It isn’t as simple as turning my back on the whole organization,” She added and wrapped her arms around her middle. “I have dedicated too much of my life to it to allow a ridiculous piece of legislation to force me away from it.”

It felt as though she was biting the inside of her cheek so much she was sure to chew through it. That was how Gwen managed to stay silent. It also helped stop herself from crying as she watched Amelia tear up and explain herself. She hated seeing Amelia upset, angry as she was Gwen was far from heartless. She wanted to hold her and apologise for snapping but she was still angry.

“Forgive me if I struggle to see this as just you being curious,” Gwen muttered sourly, glowering at her freshly bandaged finger. Already she started to fiddle with it, just out of nerves and because she knew if she looked at Amelia she risked snapping again - and she really did not wish to snap at her anymore. “But is it worth not being in the dark when you’re part of something so awful?” Gwen’s tone almost sounded pleading.

She wanted so much to be proud of Amelia. She was beautiful, intelligent, and as long as Gwen had known her, it felt like she could apply herself to any task - she’d got Gwen through her OWLs, after all. But this felt as though it made things impossibly difficult. How on earth could Gwen take home a girl who worked for the ministry? How could she look her father in the face and say she was still desperately in love with a girl now complicit in the theft of children with the same heritage as him. How could she be proud of her when she was so unsure of her true motivations?

“I’m- I’ll never ask you to turn your back on it, that wouldn’t be fair.” Not to mention she’d learnt from experience that pushing Amelia to do anything she didn’t want to could blow up in her face. She’d lost count of the deep calming breaths this conversation required, but Gwen had to take another one. “You dedicated your life to it when we were fifteen! Hell, you probably had it squared away since you were 11. You- you don’t have to quit to bring about change but you have to be more than just fucking complicit!”

So much for calming.

[gwentheharpy-archive]

Scrolls {open}

Clementine: im a terrible child sorry

Clementine: im clementine

Clementine: i know it sounds like a made up name but it really is

Clementine: i had to get my insanity from somewhere

Gwen: Like the orange?

Gwen: Which you should also eat, btw #5aday

Gwen: You got it from your new fake mother

[gwentheharpy-archive]

wintermacnair:

Winter thought she recognized the woman who ran into her, but then she thought she recognized a lot of people. As annoyed as she was, her new mission to infiltrate those terribly self-righteous and pleasant Order made her stop herself before she snapped at them, reigning in her temper. Good job. 

“No worries, I’ve been needing an excuse to get a new one. Mines like a year and a half behind now, practically ancient.” Winter smiled, then bent down to grab her phone. “Ah its fine see, not even a scratch, now i’ll have to come up with another excuse to get a new one.” Winter smirked, charmingly, “You can still buy me a coffee though, to make up for thirty seconds of anxiety.” 

The relief when she saw the unshattered screen was somewhat short lived as she was flashed a charming smile. “Oh, I-- of course,” Gwen smiled back, trying her best not to appear flustered though if anything she felt a little coerced into buying this woman coffee. Gwen being Gwen, however, she said yes if only because she did feel guilty about knocking her phone to the pavement. So she led her to the nearest coffee shop, one she knew relatively well.

“I’ve never been the type to go through phones quickly, myself,” she mused, holding the door open for the other girl. -- “I usually just update SnapDragon relentlessly until there’s no more space,” she chuckled.” 

[gwentheharpy-archive]

Favorite color?

Most people expect Gwen to say her favourite colour is yellow. She certainly wears a lot of it, and she was a Hufflepuff through and through. In actual fact her favourite colour is probably very dark green. Darker than her Harpies uniform, and not a colour she wears as often as some others. It reminds her of her childhood holidays spent in lush green forests in Wales and it looks lovely on Amelia.

[danandphilcore]

send me "what's your favorite.." asks 💫

[gwentheharpy-archive]

Scrolls {open}

Clementine: so no salt and pepper chicken got it

Clementine: hope you dont mind but i totally saved your number in my phone as new mum

Clementine: not that i actually know who the hell im texting right now but thats normal for me

Gwen: you're learning, my child

Gwen: glad to know i've adopted someone, i hope i'm a good mother and a bad influence

Gwen: It's... less normal for me, but still fun I guess

Gwen: My name's actually Gwenog, but you can continue to call me mum

[gwentheharpy-archive]

littlestbones:

“They are going to need people on the inside if they want to see anything change, Gwen,” Amelia groaned. “Look how the Wizengamot ended up. Our vote doesn’t even matter anymore. They arrested everyone that voted against it. That’s the last thing I–” The rest of her answer hung in the air when Gwenog cried out. Her defensiveness was lost to closing the distance between them and glancing down at Gwen’s hand.

It didn’t look as though it would need St. Mungo’s or anything (at least from where Amelia was standing)but it was still enough to leave her pale because of the blood. “Run it under water. I have a first aid kit in my desk.” The whole thing about the Ministry felt trivial now that Gwenog was hurt. She nearly admitted that out loud but the conversation was still something they were going to need to discuss.

“Hold on,” She sighed then leaned up so she could kiss Gwen’s cheek. “You can use the kitchen towel as a compress if needed.” That offer in itself was a lot coming from Amelia since she liked her linens in pristine condition. She then walked away, the sound of her rummaging through her desk heard as she carelessly tossed books to the floor. A sheepish expression took over once she returned to the kitchen, eyes downcast as she neared Gwenog.

“Please tell me we won’t be ending the day with you getting stitched up at St. Mungo’s then going home,” She mumbled then set the kit on the counter and opened it. As much as it meant the risk of Gwenog flying off the handle, Amelia had decided it would be worth spending the evening together. It had been too rough of a day to give up the luxury of spending the evening cuddled up with Gwen.

“We won’t ever see eye to eye on the Ministry,” She sighed and dug around the kit until she found something to clean Gwen’s finger with. “But I– I did what feels right despite disagreeing with the lot of them.” Amelia let her gaze settle on Gwen. “How’s your hand?”

Pursing her lips as she moved to the sink, letting the cold water rush over her finger, Gwen tried to take a few calming breaths as she tried to process it. “Don’t,” she muttered, turning her face away as Amelia tried to press a kiss to her cheek. It wasn’t exactly difficult given how much taller Gwen was. She did it unthinkingly, although part of her knew it would hurt Amelia. 

As she left the room, Gwen let out a shaky breath and blinked away warm, angry tears. She didn’t do it to hurt you. A voice in her head hissed. While Amelia hadn’t done it to hurt her, that was beside the point. It still felt like Amelia was putting her career first. This was just another opportunity for the perfect, clever pureblood Amelia had always been. It was an unfair thought, but it was the one that came kicking and screaming to the forefront of Gwen’s brain. In her anger she struggled to give her girlfriend enough credit, or the benefit of the doubt.

Amelia came back but Gwen couldn’t look at her. She kept her eyes on her hand under the stream of the tap. “It’s not Mungo’s bad, don’t be dramatic,” Gwen said sullenly, bringing it to her face to examine it herself while Amelia dug around the kit. 

Her mouth dropped open as Amelia finally tried to further explain herself, and Gwen could contain herself no longer. “How- How can you say that?!” she yelled, even though it was probably just a poor choice of words on her girlfriend’s part. “None of this should feel right, Amelia! None of it!” It twisted uncomfortably in her gut to even think of being complacent in it, even with the hopes of enacting change. Gwen had always been more the type to want to stand up. Rebel vocally against the injustices she saw. 

“It’s tearing families apart, it’s barbaric, it’s sick,” her voice wavered on the last word, and she stopped glaring at Amelia to look at her feet again. Ever since the legislation, her father had been on her mind. The disappointment, the fear he’d had at everything the Ministry was doing to Muggleborns right now, all in the name of ‘protecting them’ from the Muggles and their ‘violent tendencies’. It was wrong, and it hurt to know Amelia still wanted to be part of an organisation that could believe that. “There is nothing wrong with Muggle Blood, Muggle heritage, and I know- I used to know that you knew that.”

After a pause, a few deep breaths, she held out her injured hand. “It’s not about us seeing eye to eye, you’re right; we never will,” Gwen said softly, calming down just slightly as she let Amelia tend to her hand. Biting her lip, she tried to swallow her feelings so she could express herself more rationally. “It’s- I want to know what would be enough? To make you leave, when will they go too far?”

[gwentheharpy-archive]

littlestbones:

Anxious barely covered Amelia felt about needing to mention the career change to Gwenog. She canceled dinner the evening before since she could barely stomach the news as it was. Voting for the bill did far more damage to her self-esteem than expected. She was raised to speak her mind and find a way to make sure she delivered her thoughts in a clear way. Speaking out about it felt dangerous and the few that did were arrested the moment the Wizengamot was released. It would have been best to walk out right then and there but her family took far too much pride in their stance in the Ministry for her to throw it all away on seemingly poorly thought out legislation.

Amelia returned Gwen’s hug and buried her head into her shoulder for a moment before stepping back. She couldn’t mask her grim expression. It didn’t how many times she tried prior to Gwen’s arrival. The look never met her eyes and it always faltered within seconds of her attempts. She didn’t even know where to begin. Casually mentioning it, telling Gwen not to get mad, or posing it as a career opportunity didn’t feel right.

Anything in regards to the Ministry didn’t feel right now.

“Yes,” She exhaled. “I– I’m sorry I waited until almost the last second on that.” Amelia nearly winced at the way her voice shook. Gwen had every right to get mad at her for the decision – Every right to tell her off and say she needed some time spent away from her. The latter thought was the one that hurt the most. It was enough for her to look Gwenog in the eye and get her explanation out.

“I can’t sit back knowing the Ministry is doing what the new legislation entails,” She sighed. “They had a position in the new department open and I took it.” Her tone went from nervous to diplomatic in a matter of seconds, her form straightening since she hit the serious part of it. “I might as well get it out now instead of sugarcoating and I– Bloody hell, Gwen. They want me checking that the children aren’t being mistreated in the orphanages and I… Surely that is better than having an arrest on my record or simply doing nothing at all?”

Offering a shrug, Gwen shook her head, “It’s not a problem, you don’t have to apologise,” she reassured her, as she started chopping the vegetables for their dinner. She was aware Amelia seemed more anxious than usual, the tension it created seeming to thicken the air. Gwen just assumed it was because they so obviously would not see eye-to-eye with everything the ministry had decided yesterday, and eventually it would have to come up in conversation. 

Should she ask why Amelia hadn’t been arrested? Her faith in Amelia was strong enough that she thought she knew what Amelia believed in. She thought she knew Amelia would stand up for those beliefs no matter what. But that didn’t mean she’d necessarily want to talk about the vote, and while it felt a bit like walking on eggshells, Gwen didn’t want to ask about it. About the vote, the new legislation, the rest of it. She was afraid she’d end up ranting about the whole thing.

Needless to say she was surprised when Amelia brought it up herself.

“I’m glad you said that, the new legi- wait,” she stuttered off as she processed what her girlfriend had actually just said. “You... you’re...” Gwenog struggled to wrap her head around it even as she tried to explain. Had she been in Amelia’s place of course she’d have taken the arrest. Better to stand up for what she believed in, in Gwen’s eyes. But Amelia wasn’t Gwen. She was a woman with aspirations to be minister for magic, even with the ministry as corrupt as it seemed to be right now. She knew, rationally, Amelia probably thought she could bring about change from within.

But in that moment, all Gwen could see was that her girlfriend had just become complicit in everything awful the new legislation was doing.

“Don’t- don’t get all dimplomatic and political with me, Amelia. They’re stealing those children you say you want to protect,” she bit it out as evenly as she could. Gwen was very much against yelling at Amelia, against interfering with her job... but this was a line, right? Gwen continued chopping vegetables with a determined calm, but she couldn’t help glancing over at Amelia with a look between anger and confusion. “Tell me you d- Shit!” she hissed as the knife sliced her finger in her distraction. 

[gwentheharpy-archive]

Scrolls {open}

Clementine: pepper is the only veg that is allowed on my pizza

Clementine: chinese it is

Clementine: thanks mum

Gwen: YEs good listen to your new mother

Gwen: (i know i was against it a minute ago but i'll take it)

Gwen: Don't get anything too salty, and remember carrots are great!