catch a falling star and put it in your pocket

Greta Catchlove | 23 | Code Three

[miss-gretax]

mikhavulchanov​:

He smiled at her.  “You’ve just got to do what’s best for you in the end.  Erm – I mean this hypothetical person in this hypothetical scenario, my apologies.  A completely fake story..  This hypothetical person simply needs to do what’s best for them – but they should consider what’s emotionally and mentally best for them in equal measure to what’s physically best for them.  Guilt is, as you say, a bitch, yes?”  He shook his head.  “No, thank you for giving me the chance to ramble on about ethical theories without rolling your eyes.  I don’t get the opportunity all that often, and I find it all so fascinating.”

“I am getting old,” he confirmed.  “I woke up this morning and had to take a pain potion because my back was sore.  It’s a completely valid comment,” he chuckled.  “And yes, while I do want to return home one day, it won’t be anytime soon.  I’ve still got some business to take care of here.  Things i want to do and see.  And when I do go back you’ll have to visit me, of course.  We can take a train even, if you’d like.”

*

“Right”, Greta flashed a relieved smile, “The hypothetical situation that has no roots in reality whatsoever.”  She laughed, “It definitely doesn’t feel very nice to be guilty, does it?  Like, this one time, I thought I was helping out a bee, because he looked very dehydrated and tired so I tried to give him so water, but then when I tried to let him go he flew straight into a spiders web.”  Looking down sheepishly, she sighed, not really sure why she’d decided to share but feeling that Mikha would understand, “I feel guilty about that a lot.”  Smiling encouragingly, she said, “I would never roll my eyes at you!  You can talk about any theory, I find it all really interesting when you explain things.”

“You did not”, she laughed again, this time a little surprised.  “You’re not that old, unless you took some sort of anti-aging potion or something.  And that would be really nice, I’d like that.  You’ll absolutely have to show me around your hometown.”

[miss-gretax]

fprewettx​:

mxrysmac​:

withering-lilypotter​:

This was not a good idea. It was one thing to crash a ball hosted by the ministry to spy for information, but to walk straight into the heart of the ministry in order to cause chaos? Even Sirius would agree that this was a stupid idea (though he would still be enthusiastic about it). Luckily, Lily had convinced Mary not to involve Remus and Sirius. It was bad enough that they were asking Greta to tag along. Lily thought that addition was more likely to get them caught – it wasn’t as if Greta had a lot of experience with this sort of thing, and she seemed too nice to Lily to be able to wreak destruction in the way they were attempting. 

Lily sighed, trying to keep all of these negative thoughts to herself. She thought this plan was reckless and maybe a little stupid, but she wasn’t going to voice that, not when she and Mary had so recently made up, and certainly not when Mary was so dead set on it. Lily knew that her friends would do it without her if she put up too much of a fuss, and she couldn’t have that. She wasn’t going to let them walk into this danger without her by their side. If they got caught, they got caught together. 

Lily forced a smile onto her face as Greta turned back to whisper to her. It was incredibly selfless and good of her to help them out, to put herself in this danger again and again to keep Lily’s friends safe. She appreciated it, even if she didn’t always know how to show it. “I’m good,” she whispered back, able to fake enough reassurance in her voice not to dim Greta’s smile. 

Quickening her steps, Lily caught up to Mary. “You sure about this, MacDonald?”

@mxrysmac​

…

She rolled her eyes at Fabian.  “Let them look.”  Lily was a goddess when it came to the ways of disguise, and she didn’t look recognizable at all.  “Someone gave me,” she smiled at Lily.  “gave me a temporarily adorable face for them to look at.”  But she did have to admit that he made a good point.  She gave it one final adjustment and dropped her hands, glancing over her shoulder to take in the ragtag little crew of criminals that she had assembled.  As Greta echoed her words she very nearly laughed.  If anyone was going to get them caught it was probably Greta – but that just meant that they couldn’t get caught.  It was so obvious how close she was to joining them.  Maybe a successful bit of mischief would be the thing that tipped her over the edge.  “You’re going to do great.”  She offered Greta her most encouraging smile.

Tilting her head to the side she offered Lily as confident a smile as she could muster.  Was she sure they weren’t going to get caught?  Yes.  It would be simply enough to confidently intercept the boxes designated for the Ministry and switch them out for their own.  Was she sure that this was a worthwhile risk?  Absolutely not, but anything to inconvenience the Ministry was satisfying anyway.  “When am I ever sure of anything?”  She laughed, linking her arm with Lily’s.  “But I do think it will be fun.”

Glancing back at Greta and Fabian, she reminded them of the plan in a low voice.  “The boxes are meant to be delivered in the alleyway behind the Ministry.  We simply just need to intercept those boxes with confidence and exchange them for our… well, our better ones.  It shouldn’t be a difficult task, and if for some reason it looks risky we’ll just keep walking.  For all they know we’re a group of four, innocent Muggles out for an afternoon stroll.”

@fprewettx​

-

For all that he worried things would go terribly wrong, he couldn’t deny that it felt good to be out and with his friends, to roll his eyes at Mary’s words and tell her easily, “You’ve already got a cute face, Mary, you don’t need a disguise to get that,” and squeeze Greta to him a bit as they went. Greta’s reassurances at least settled him and watching Mary and Lily link arms was oddly assuring as well. He wasn’t sure how their reunion had gone but at least they were speaking and scheming together again. 

“I know,” He told Mary as she went back through the plan. Over planning, he had always found, often killed the ability to improvise and find new ways out. What they were going to do was simple, maybe not a masterminded idea but one that would remind the Ministry that they hadn’t given up and that this new world order they had set up wouldn’t be accepted as smoothly as they hoped. “Then we unleach the raccoons into the entrance and run, right?” He gave her a grin, only partially joking. He had a few items in his pockets that could be easily transfigured should they need a distraction. 

@miss-gretax​

Grinning as soon as Lily assured her that she was alright, Greta took another deep breath, appreciating the grounded effect the Fabian’s arm around her was having.  As far as plans went, it all seemed pretty harmless.  Sure, it would cause an inconvenience, but surely it was such an inconvenience that the Ministry would be able to bounce back from.  Greta wasn’t entirely sure that she saw the point of the whole activity, but maybe Mary was feeling like she needed to be doing something, and who was Greta to stop her.  Although - maybe next time she would suggest some simple team building exercises instead.  

It wasn’t the first time that Mary had run through the plan, but she already felt like she was missing something.  “So - are you going to pretend to be Ministry workers to do that?”  Even with the disguises, that felt a little bold.  Tossing some racoons into the Ministry seemed like a surefire way to at least shut things down for the day, but Greta was sure that it wouldn’t end very well for the racoons, and she turned back to Fabian, eyes wide in shock.  “That doesn’t seem very fair to the racoons.”

@withering-lilypotter​

[miss-gretax]

fprewettx​:

mxrysmac​:

She was tired.

She was tired of sitting around and waiting.  There was still so much potential in this world, but it would only get further wrapped in darkness if they didn’t do something about it.  She knew that Fabian and Lily were unconvinced, and that they were perhaps indulging her.  She wasn’t sure because she hadn’t asked – any minor inconvenience to the Ministry was worthwhile.  What had surprised her, however, had been when Greta had agreed to join them.  She could be so helpful if she’d just believe in herself.

This was the hardest part.  They were disguised well enough that no one would recognize them unless something went very wrong, but the fact that no one would recognize their disguises was also problematic.  Wizarding London was far smaller than anyone cared to admit.  

“Be cool,” she insisted, just before they turned the corner into Diagon Alley, adjusting her hat a bit lower down her forehead.  “I’m always cool, I’m mostly worried about you three,” she teased, despite the tension she felt.

@fprewettx​

-

There was something comforting about Mary’s determination, even if Fabian often had trouble seeing the world the way she did. He hadn’t entirely given up, not in the way he knew Mary suspected, but the universe did have a rather firm hand in telling him to stay down when he did venture out and even when he stayed in. 

The burns had at least healed well and he was up and about. Maybe not better than ever but enough to be useful and keep an eye on his friends while they did something stupid. At this point, however, it seemed worth it just to put any little wrench in the Ministry’s day for what they had done to tip their lives upside down. 

“Stop touching your hat,” Fabian told Mary, nudging her with an arm even as she insisted she was being cool, “It draws attention to your face.” He glanced to his other side to Greta, keeping his expression light as they entered a more heavily trafficked area. They would just be another odd little group passing through, if all went well, but he was nervous about Greta tagging along. Three of them were already marked, it would get even worse if all four were known as criminals. 

Masking his concern for camaraderie as he put an arm around Greta’s shoulders, he lowered his head to say softly, “Are you sure about this? You can always go home, no one would blame you.”

@miss-gretax​

-

Greta couldn’t help but smile at Mary’s insistence to act natural - that was probably directed more at her than any of the others.  “Be cool”, she echoed, breathing out as a way of reminder to herself.  This wasn’t any of their first times doing something dangerous, whereas she was still relatively new to it all.  She was sure going to do her best, and besides, she wasn’t doing anything illegal by being out and about.  If anything, having her there could serve as a good distraction if necessary.  Despite having no idea what to expect, she was, deep down, just happy to be included.

Smiling up at Fabian, she answered back equally as quietly, “I’m sure.  I want to help.”  One of the biggest reasons that she hadn’t helped earlier was that she didn’t want to mess things up, or slow anybody down.  But they clearly could use her help, and she found herself wanting to help out now more than ever.  Besides, even despite the reassurance it truly felt too late to back out now.  Part of her wanted to put her arm around Fabian’s waist, but she refrained and instead turned her head to look at Lily, continuing to smile in a way that she hoped was reassuring.  “You alright?”

@withering-lilypotter​

[miss-gretax]

remuslupenn​:

Oh, right. Remus knew her. “…Greta?” he asked, before looking down at the book in his hand. “Ah, dunno. Just started reading it.” He looked around, relaxing just the smallest bit. “Yeah, that makes sense.” He nodded. He clutched the books, tilting his head at her. “You…frequent this library?” He was curious, wondering if more witches and wizards came here than he would have realized before. If that was the case, he needed to find a different library. He couldn’t risk being found by anyone else. He doubted Greta would say anything, but he couldn’t afford the risk for someone else to find him. 

Greta smiled at the recognition, “Well, you’ll have to let me know if it’s any good.”  She wondered if he’d seen Mary or Lily or even Sirius lately, or if he’d been keeping fully to himself.  She wouldn’t have blamed him if he had.  “No, I’ve actually never been to this one before.  But they feel cozy and familiar, you know.  I don’t have to come back, if this is - you know, where you’ve been keeping safe.  I can pretend I never saw you and we can never speak of it again.”  It was kind of nice to know that he had a space where he could be, even if it was in the Muggle world.

[miss-gretax]

fprewettx​:

mikhavulchanov​:

He let out a profound sigh, grabbing Greta around the waist and tossing her over his shoulder.  It was a bit more heavy handed than he’d have typically done this, but in his defense it was late and he was ready to go to sleep.  Gently he plopped her onto the bed next to Fabian.  “As amusing as this nobility debate has become, I am ready for bed, as are the two of you I’m sure.”

For a moment he considered just heading to the guest room, but in the end he just gently nudged Fabian over and climbed into bed on the other side of him.  It was big enough, and this way it would be easy enough to tell if something went wrong with the burns that he had bandaged.  “Apparently we are going to have a slumber party.  Everyone close their eyes, and if we’re all good and stop mentioning sleeping on the floor I’ll fix hot chocolate in the morning, yes?”

@fprewettx​

-

It was hard not to laugh when Mikha gave up arguing and just put Greta on the bed as well. There was a unique satisfaction to see that someone could just as easily out-stubborn her, even after she went and got supplies to make herself a floor nest. Fabian wasn’t sure why so many of his friends thought sleeping on the floor would help things, Mary had been the same way when she had stayed with him for a few days, but thankfully it had been a lot easier to convince her to just sleep in the bed - no picking up required. 

He scooted so there was room for Mikha on his other side as the man gave him a nudge. There was the normal spark of anxiety at the idea of sleeping in a bit of an enclosed space with two people on either side of him paired with the spike of alertness that came from sleeping in a new location, but he was doing a decent job at shoving it down and letting his exhaustion do a bit of an override on his worries. Fabian turned his head to look at Greta, poking her gently in the ribs before shifting again to let her curl up a bit closer to him if she needed to get away from the edge of the bed, “Don’t blow hot chocolate for us.”

@miss-gretax​

Whatever Greta had expected would follow Mikha’s sigh, it certainly wasn’t to be picked up and tossed onto the bed, and she let out a squeal, cheeks flushing.  He could definitely be matter of fact, and she was trying to take it all as playful more than chastising.  She was feeling a great deal of guilt over so many things; her lack of action, her realization of her feelings, other people hurting even though she really didn’t have anything to do with some of it.  And then she was making herself feel guilty for feeling upset, because it didn’t really feel like it was her place to.  “Okay”, was all she said, fighting back tears, though she was proud of herself because her voice sounded steady instead of shaky.

Squeezing Fabian’s hand one last time before he fell asleep, she realized that it was going to be a long night of staying very still, trying not to move and hurt him.  Laying awake while Mikha and Fabian slept beside her, she stared at the ceiling until her eyes burned, dark thoughts swirling as her heart thudded.  As much as she would have liked to, Greta didn’t sleep a wink.  At least there would be hot chocolate in the morning.

END

[miss-gretax]

fprewettx​:

mikhavulchanov​:

He chuckled, grinning.  “Ah – yes, you know… I would, except you’re injured and I think the fewer contact points the better.”  He waved his wand, levitating Fabian into the air.  “Perhaps you don’t want to struggle.  I’d hate to have to rebandage anything, and the rest of the pain relief potion won’t be ready until the morning.”  He ignored Greta for the time being, sure that she’d follow the pair of them down the hallway where they could continue with this little nobleness battle.  

Once they got into his room he carefully lowered Fabian onto his bed.  “The sheets are nice.  I have no idea what they are, but they’re soft.  Like a cloud, yes?”   He glanced over his shoulder to smile at Greta.  “Greta, my mother raised me to be far more polite than the sort who would allow a guest to sleep on the floor.  You can sleep in here, or you are more than welcome to the guest room.  Now,” he paused to clap his hands together.  “It is quite late, and i know that I often have a difficult time turning my mind off after an adventure such as this.  Would either of you like a dreamless sleep potion?  My own recipe, I assure you that it’s quite effective.”

@fprewettx​

-

It was a mark of Fabian’s exhaustion that he didn’t bother protesting as much as he normally would as he was levitated into a room and gently deposited on a bed. Besides, Mikha was right, and struggling would do him more bad than it would good and if his time here was dependent on how quickly he healed, it was better to just allow the help for the time being. 

One thing he could easily admit was that Mikha was right about his bed. It was very soft and comfortable and even as this argument continued in the bedroom that he continued to keep an ear on, he let his head sink into a pillow, eyes only half open. “Greta,” He said with a small yawn, “You’re not going to hurt anyone’s feelings by sleeping in a bed, and sleeping on the floor isn’t going to make things better.” Really all it was succeeding in doing was proving how stubborn their host was. Fabian knew when he was watching a losing battle and whatever misguided guilt Greta had at being comfortable was not going to win against Mikha’s tenacity. 

Sitting up a bit to look at Mikha, he pointed a not so threatening finger at him, “You need to sleep in a bed, too.” 

@miss-gretax​

-

Shaking her head, Greta frowned, “No potions, please.”  As nice as it sounded, even without the thought of dreams, she didn’t really want to take anything that would put her to sleep.  Deciding to ignore them both, because she didn’t really have it in her to protest even though she had it in her mind that it was for the best, she went down the hall to the guest bedroom.  Scooping up some of the very soft pillows and a blanket so that she could bring them back to Mikha’s room, she tossed them lightly onto the floor, ready to build herself a little nest.  Mikha deserved to sleep in his own bed and not on the couch, and crowding anyone else into it left so much room to jostle Fabian, and who had burns all over him.  Sleeping on the floor certainly felt like it would make things better, it was one small thing that she could personally control.

Bending down so that she could arrange the pillows nicely, she ducked her head, “Exactly, Mikha you can sleep in your own bed because it’s definitely not fair if you have to sleep on the couch after everything you’ve done tonight, and I’ll be down here, and-”, there wasn’t really any way for her to end the sentence, so she fell silent, ready to curl up.

@mikhavulchanov​

[miss-gretax]

amycusxcarrxw​:

Amycus wasn’t sure if he was really comprehending anything she was saying. In fact, he was pretty sure that he never met someone who talked as much as she did. As if the silence was going to kill her or something. But he made sure he didn’t look annoyed or confused, instead nodding his head along to whatever she said and smirking just a little when he noticed her cheeks turning pink. It certainly wouldn’t be difficult to throw her off her rhythm. “You’ve never read non-fiction?” He asked, almost genuinely curious. “They say that sometimes history repeats itself, so it’s good to learn from it.” A slightly more dangerous smile replaced the smirk when he said this. “Besides, there are many interesting people in history. Even muggles.” Just the smallest bit of disgust peaked through. 

“Hm,” he hummed when she asked if they met at the masquerade ball. It would be easy to lie about it. How would she truly know? “Maybe. I did meet quite a number of beautiful women.” She was slightly pretty. Mostly when she wasn’t rambling on, but still. “I did go to Hogwarts,” Amycus confirmed, not saying what house he had been in. “I think it was the ball. I remember you just enough.” He then moved so that Greta was wedged between the shelf and himself. “It’s the eyes,” he said in a bit of a lower voice.

*

“Well no, of course I’ve read non-fiction, I just don’t make a habit of it, I suppose.  I like fiction best.  Real people and events and stuff are interesting but reading fiction is a lot more enjoyable to me, personally.”  Greta smiled kindly, “Is non-fiction your favourite?  Oh, don’t tell me, did you do really well in History of Magic?”  They did say that, but what they were currently living through didn’t feel like any history that had previously happened, so she just nodded and continued to smile.  She missed the slight disgust that snuck its way into his voice and taking it genuinely, said eagerly, “There are so many interesting Muggles in history!  They’re pretty neat, and some of them have a lot of ingenuity, you know?”

Continuing to nod so much that she felt like her head might fall off, Greta said, “Oh yes, everyone looked so beautiful, didn’t they?  It was so nice to have a reason to get dressed up, I’d never been to such a fancy event before.  I probably said the same thing to you at the ball, though”, she laughed, feeling truly awful that she didn’t find him familiar.  It was difficult with the masks, though, so at least she could chalk it up to the fact that she was seeing his full face for the first time.  “I’m so sorry that I’ve already forgotten, but did you tell me your name?”  At the mention of her eyes, she couldn’t help but laugh again, “Well, they are very blue, and hard to miss, I suppose.”  Greta realized that she was suddenly between him and the shelf, and turned to look at the books behind her.  “Sorry, I must be in your way.”

[miss-gretax]

ritaskxxter​:

Rita still didn’t quite understand how Greta could talk so quickly. How she could spout off a million questions in quick succession was unknown to her. And Rita was a journalist for Merlin’s sake! “Uh,” she said, still processing all the questions. “Mostly relating to the government, but there have been a few more fun stories to write about.” While Rita did write some “serious” articles, she did dabble in gossip quite a bit. Most people actually read the gossip anyway, keeping up to date on which famous wizard or witch was doing what. Or who. “I wrote a little bit about the ball,” Rita nodded. “But I was still able to enjoy myself. I flirted with a few wizards, including one who never told me his name. But it was fun, I wish I had more chances to dress up like that.” 

Of course, she was curious what Greta had gotten up to. Though, for some reason, she doubted it would be all that interesting. The other woman just didn’t strike her as the super exciting type. Her eyebrows furrowed together a little bit when Greta made her promise not to laugh. “Yeah, I promise,” she said, wondering how funny the stories could truly be. But as Greta told her story, Rita’s eyes widened and widened. Greta kissing not one, but two female Death Eaters? Let alone some of the more intimidating ones? Greta?! It seemed almost unbelievable. She wasn’t sure if she should be impressed by Greta or terrified. “Greta,” she said, her voice just above a whisper. “You let Bellatrix Black know where you live?” Even though her friend was a code three, it still seemed dangerous. Rita didn’t really want Bellatrix knowing where she lived. “Bellatrix Black is not nice,” she said firmly. Rita was pretty sure she didn’t have a nice bone in her entire body. 

“A bet?!” Rita asked, her eyebrows once again furrowing together. “I don’t think they have a bet.” What would the bet even be about? Who could kiss Greta first? “I think they just…wanted to mess with you.” They were Death Eaters, they didn’t exactly need a good reason for anything they did. Everything they did was done for a good reason, whatever that might be. “No, no it’s fine. Of course you can talk to me about things like this,” Rita smiled and the gears were already turning in her head.

*

“Oh wow, well I’m glad that you had fun.  Maybe there will be another ball, soon!”  Even if there was, Greta doubted that she would get an invitation, but Rita probably knew a lot of really important people as a journalist, so she would surely get one.  She always seemed so effortlessly glamorous, and Greta couldn’t help but admire her a little.  “I guess if you didn’t get the mysterious man’s name, there’s no opportunity to flirt with him again.  But you never know, things happen for a reason, that’s what my Grandma always says.”

“Well”, it hadn’t really struck her before now that letting Bellatrix know where she lived might not have been the best idea, especially with code fives occasionally showing up on her doorstep.  Rita seemed horrified by the idea, and Greta trusted her judgement, but she couldn’t quite bring herself to feel the same horror.  “I mean, she offered to walk me home”, she offered up quietly as a way of explanation.  It had all seemed harmless enough in the moment, “I think she was just trying to make sure that I got home alright, I’d had a little bit to drink, you see.”  She had thought the same thing, at first, but now she held the opinion that Bellatrix was just a little bit misunderstood.  “I mean, the first time that we met she threatened me a little.”  And truthfully, Greta realized that she’d probably deserved it.  “But we kind of had fun.”

Greta nodded seriously.  That probably wasn’t the kindest thing to think about somebody, but it helped her make sense of it all.  “I’m so glad that I have you to talk to about these kinds of things.  You’re a really good friend.”  

[miss-gretax]

remuslupenn​:

@miss-gretax

status: closed location: Muggle library

Remus didn’t have much money, but Muggle libraries were free, and he felt somewhat safe in them. He was still on guard, yes, but it was easier to relax a little surrounded by the shelves of books. He liked reading Muggle books, especially the books on science and medicine. He selected a few from the shelves, finding a spot in a cushy couch to sit and read. His back was to the wall and he had a good vantage point here, easy enough to spot people coming in and out of the library.  He had just settled into the spot and opened up his book when he spotted a familiar face. He couldn’t quite place her, but she was definitely someone he’d seen before. It was very possible that she was a Muggle; he’d seen his fair share of them in this very busy library. But the odds of seeing the same one twice were slim. No. She had to be a witch, someone he’d seen at Hogwarts. 

His hackles raised a little, immediately going into alert mode. Maybe if Remus didn’t move, she wouldn’t notice him. That was something that would work, right? It worked for dinosaurs avoiding a tyrannosaurus rex, after all. Rather than stay on the exposed couch, he gathered his books up, trying to subtly follow her to see what her intentions were. Perhaps she was just here to pick out some books. Or maybe she was here to corner him. Either way, he was going to find out. 

Even though she didn’t get to visit often, Greta loved Muggle libraries.  They reminded of her childhood, of afternoons spent with her Grandparents reading through piles and piles of books.  In light of everything that had happened recently, she found herself seeking out the nostalgic comfort that was the nearest Muggle library.  Indecisive as ever, she contented herself to pulling books of the shelf, flipping through them, and then placing them right back where she found them.  In truth, she probably didn’t have the capacity to actually read any of them, but just being surrounded by the familiar felt like a comfort.

Moving from shelf to shelf, she continued to pick up books and place them back down, finding herself truly unable to make a decision.  A time or two, she had to resist the urge to smell the books - she couldn’t really explain it, there was just something about old books that smelled lovely.   

What she truly hadn’t expected was to see an all too familiar face from the wizarding world peering around one of the shelves, looking even a little more worn and tired than he did on his wanted posters.  “Remus?  Hi!”  Her instinct was to ask what he was doing there, but that felt a little rude, so she pointed to the book in his hand, and asked quietly “Is that any good?  I’ve been wanting the bookshop owners at the shop I work with to carry more Muggle books, and they sort of used to before, you know, everything, but they’ve very slowly started to take them off the shelf.”

[miss-gretax]

fprewettx​:

mikhavulchanov​:

“You don’t have to thank me,” he said sincerely.  He wished he could say it was what anyone would have done, but he knew that wasn’t true, and he suspected Fabian knew that even better.  “but I am glad that you came.  If you need things like this in the future feel free to let me know.”  He could only imagine the look on Antonin’s face if he could see him right now, but he didn’t let that bother him.  He was not in the wrong, the ones who created a system where decent people couldn’t even go to the hospital for treatment because they were decent people were in the wrong in this particular situation.  As much as he wanted to stay out of a fight that wasn’t his, nor was any of his business, he just couldn’t do that here.  

There were just a few things in the greenhouse that Greta hadn’t managed to find.  It only took him a moment to collect the rest.  He shook his head, flicking his wand and sending the knives into action of their own accord.  It wouldn’t be top notch if he wasn’t here to supervise, but it would be good enough.  “I told you,” he grinned at her.  “it’s a very simple recipe.  My knives don’t even need me here.  I’ll come back and check on it once we get everything settled.”  He returned her embrace easily.  “Just as I told your friend, you don’t have to thank me.  Today what was right and what was ethical lined up for me,” he chuckled, reminding her of their conversation last week.  “I have a guest room that I haven’t looked in in a few weeks.  And yet, somehow I suspect Anushka has gotten her claws into the decor.  I’m sure you’ll be more than comfortable in there.  No need to sleep on the floor.  Come, let’s go back and work it all out.”

He stepped back into the hallway and back into the living room.  “Here is what I am thinking.  Fabian, my new friend, you are injured so you take my bed.  I will levitate you in there if you refuse, please don’t try to test me on that unless you’re eager to try it out.  Greta, you can take the guest room – unless you two prefer to share, in which case by all means.  And I can make myself a nice little nest on the couch.  Greta, if you need to borrow a shirt they’re in my closet.  Take what you need.”

@fprewettx​

@fprewettx​

-

He wasn’t sure how long they were in the greenhouse for, or what they were doing. Something about a potion, probably some other horrible tasting concoction that Mikha would want Fabian to drink as quickly as possible to prevent him vomiting it back up immediately. That was always something to look forward to. What he did know was that the couch was deceptively comfortable, and it was easier to lay down in a better sleeping position with most of his wounds taken care of. 

Fabian heard the tail end of their conversation as they came inside, his name was said and Mikha seemed to be trying to make sleeping arrangements for the lot of them. Burying his face into the same pillow he had nearly bitten a hole into mere minutes ago, he mumbled something about sleeping where he was, blankets or not. He could have slept in the street at that point. 

As he heard Mikha coming over to him, he peeked over at him blearily, wondering if this was actually the moment where Mikha changed his mind and kicked him out while Greta was out of the room, but instead of asking that, Fabian only laughed a little and said, “Is this where you carry me?”

@miss-gretax​

-

Greta was, once again, in awe of how wise Mikha was.  He truly seemed to have an answer for everything, and she promise “I will let you know.”  Honestly, he was probably a really good resource for the code fives to have, maybe that was something that they could slowly work on, if he was actually up for it.  She couldn’t help but laugh, “I can’t imagine having a whole room that I don’t ever go in.  But I guess you’re pretty lucky to have Anushka help you with the decorating.”  Happy to follow Mikha back into the living room, she nodded as he rattled off sleeping arrangements.  It was nice that he wasn’t trying to send her home, at least.

“Oh, no, I don’t-” she protested when he mentioned sharing, taking the out when he offered up his clothes.  Mikha and Fabian could sort things out between them, she’d go and change.  Disappearing with a quick, “thank you”, she made her way to Mikha’s closet, quickly changing into one of his shirts, pausing for a moment to think about how nice it smelled.  Hovering, assuming that the boys would be along soon, she realized that she didn’t really want to go to the guest bedroom.

Greta waited until Mikha and Fabian came along and Fabian was settled into the bed before she said quietly, “I don’t really want to be alone.”  It was probably beyond foolish and she felt so silly, and even a month ago in the same situation she probably wouldn’t have voiced how she was feeling.  “I also don’t think that you should have to sleep on the couch in your own home, Mikha.  I’m truly happy to sleep on the floor so that I don’t bump anybody, I just-”, she trailed off, unable to finish the sentence.  She was tired, but she didn’t really think that she’d be sleeping that much, anyway.

@mikhavulchanov​

[miss-gretax]

fprewettx​:

mikhavulchanov​:

He sat back, giving Fabian a few moments to assess how he was feeling before be continued.  “Great.  I’m glad I didn’t accidentally kill you.”  It was a joke, but perhaps an ill-timed one.  “I apologize, that was inconsiderate.  I brought you some pajamas.  Clearly you’re going to stay the night tonight, and for as long as you need to.  I don’t really get a lot of visitors, I tend to be the one going to see people – except my ah – my sister…” it was hard to describe his relationship with Anushka, so sister would have to suffice.  “I can’t write and tell her not to come over because she would be here within minutes.  But if she does happen to stop by we can ah… we can hide you underneath the bed or something.  The bathroom is just down the hall on the left.  Why don’t you go get yourself comfortable and I’ll go check on Greta.  And pay attention because if there’s something else that hurts we can investigate further, but I think I’ve gotten the worst of it.”

He wanted to clap Fabian on the shoulder, but that seemed ill-advised.  So instead he just patted him on top of his head a time or two before walking down the hall to the greenhouse.  He glanced around at the small progress that Greta had made and offered her a wide grin.  “You’ve done brilliantly.  Do you think you could manage to chop the doxy eggs while I gather the rest?  You’re just missing one or two things.  And then we can go figure out where everyone is going to sleep tonight?  I’ll come get it really brewing later tonight.”

@fprewettx​

-

Maybe he was tired, but he let out a little snort at the joke, carefully sitting himself back up and accepting the pajamas offered to him. It seemed that every time he opened his mouth to protest staying the night or a few days or whatever timeframe Mikha had in his mind, Mikha continued talking and being sweet and Fabian would close his mouth, smirking a bit at the suggestion that he would be able to crawl under a bed in his condition. 

Fabian caught Mikha’s hand as it left his head, pulling him to a brief stop before he could go, squeezing, “Thank you, seriously. For helping me and for being so good to Greta.” He let go with a little nod, watching Mikha go before standing and finding his way to the loo. 

He splashed some water on his face and looking back into the mirror was a little startled by his own bloodshot eyes. He busied himself with cleaning himself up of soot and dried blood that had gotten on his face and neck, steering clear of the freshly treated wounds. Slowly, Fabian managed to change into the pajamas, laughing a bit at himself in the mirror. He knew the end of the war had done a number on his body, but he hadn’t really accepted the fact that he’d gotten bony and he could only shake his head at the way the shirt swallowed him. He would just focus on being grateful that Mikha was as tall as he was, so the pants weren’t embarrassingly short or too long. 

Returning to the living room, Fabian sat back down. His head was heavy with sleep and the effects of the potion and he found himself once again simultaneously hoping for and dreading sleep. He would never look forward to the nightmares, he could only wish that with time and healing, they would become more bearable. 

@miss-gretax​

-

Greta felt further relief as Mikha popped in on her, telling her that she’d done brilliantly in a way that was maybe a little over enthusiastic, but a way that she appreciated nonetheless.  “Yeah, of course”, that was a task that she could do, at the very least.  Gathering the necessary items, she paused, placing the knife down before she launched herself at Mikha, wrapping her arms around him so that she could squeeze him tightly.

“Thank you, Mikha.  And sorry that you’re an accomplice now.”  It probably hadn’t been fair to bring him into all of it.  Especially after their conversation about power and ethics, she’d known deep down that he wouldn’t have turned them away, and felt a little manipulative.  Her eyes felt like they were going to start watering again, so she let go and started chopping up the doxy eggs the way that she’d read she was supposed to.  “Shouldn’t you get some sleep, too?  If we work together, can we get the potion done any faster?”  Peering over to where the potion book was propped open, she asked, “Does anything else need to be chopped?”  She wondered if he had memorized the potion, he was certainly smart enough.

After a moment of silence, she offered up, “Also, I can sleep on the floor!”

@mikhavulchanov​

[miss-gretax]

fprewettx​:

mikhavulchanov​:

He busied himself by doing the things that he knew would work.  He knew the antiseptic potion would work.  He knew that he had put the right plants to sooth and draw out his infection.  He knew the numbing solution would work.  But beyond that he was primarily working in theory.  It didn’t much matter though.  It didn’t seem like Fabian had any other options, and while he wasn’t sure what he was going to do next was the most effective, he knew it wouldn’t make him worse.

He glanced over at Greta’s face and smiled at her.  She clearly needed a moment away from this..  “Do you want to go start getting the pain relief potion ready?  There’s a recipe book on the front table in the greenhouse and everything you need should be in there.  You don’t have to brew it or anything, but if you could go get the ingredients ready?  Even if you can’t find them all it would be a big help.  Once he falls asleep I can show you how to make it so you can manage next time.  It’s very easy.  I’ll call you back in here if I need you.”  

Once she was gone he handed Fabian a tiny vial.  “Drink this.  Best to do it like a shot.  It’s truly vile.  But it’ll feel better fast, and then I’ll work on bandaging the ones that need it.  Most of them don’t need covered, and they should be much closer to normal by the morning once I finish with them, yeah?  Let me know when you can’t feel the throbbing anymore.”

@fprewettx​

-

He listened to their voices in a bit of a haze, not really catching what was being said as he turned his face a bit to the side, letting one eye keep watch on what was happening around him, ever paranoid as much as he wished he could release that anxiety. Watching Greta’s expression as she tried to sit still and watch what was happening. It wasn’t right that he kept pulling her into these things. She had chosen to stay out of the way for a reason, to avoid seeing people she cared about in these situations. 

Fabian closed his eyes again for a moment as Greta got up and left again, only sitting up a bit when Mikha handed him a small vial. He uncorked it and threw it back without question, making a brief disgusted face before handing it back, “I’ve always heard the worse it taste, the better it works,” He told Mikha, managing a smile before allowing himself to lay forward again. 

A brief silence fell over the two of them, though to Fabian’s surprise he didn’t feel as uncomfortable with it as he’d expected to. Mikha, for all his antiseptic potion had burned before, had careful hands as he wrapped up the wounds that needed it and the longer he let it happen the more that throbbing ebbed and breathing came easier as the potion soothed both the burns and his ribs. “Its better,” He murmured, “A lot better. Thank you.”

@miss-gretax​

-

As much as she was feeling a little hesitant to leave Fabian by himself, she was relieved for the opportunity to not have to sit and watch him be in pain.  Besides, he wouldn’t be by himself, he’d have Mikha, who was probably better company, anyway.  He always seemed to know just what to say.  “Yeah, of course.”  Back to the greenhouse she went, thankful that she didn’t have to be so mindful of keeping a smile on her face while she was alone.

As soon as she started, Greta realized that she really should have paid more attention in Herbology.  They could put that down on the list of very simple life skills that she seemed to not posses, and she suddenly felt really angry with herself for being so useless all the time.  She was going to try and be better, though.  With a determination she’d never felt before, she realized that more than enough people had offered to help teach her things, and she was going to take them up on it.

Attempting to make sense of the potion ingredients, even though she’d been assured that it was a simple potion, she got halfway through the list before she decided that she needed to sit down.  Sitting down on the floor, she stared off into space for what seemed like a long while.  The others may have been more used to these kinds of things happening, even though they shouldn’t have been, and every time a new horror was revealed to her she’d done her best to react in a way that she thought was right.  It was tiring.

The ingredients wouldn’t collect themselves, though, and she slowly got back to her feet, dusting herself off so she could continue collecting, happy that she wasn’t crying again.  Greta was fairly certain that she’d gotten them all, but wasn’t sure if she should stay in the greenhouse until she was invited back in or not.

@mikhavulchanov​

[miss-gretax]

fprewettx​:

mikhavulchanov​:

When he returned he had to bite back another chuckle.  Anushka was looking in the wrong place.  Greta was lovely, of course, but if she saw these two together she’d realize her little matchmaking scheme was misplaced energy.  Although, would it be so wrong for him to take a page out of her book?  He hesitated in the doorway for just a moment before slipping back through and rejoining them in the living room.

He nodded, pleased, as Greta had been able to find the things that he had asked for in the medicine cabinet.  “Ah –” he paused, a twinge of guilt stopping him.  This was not going to feel nice, but he supposed a bit of pain now was preferable to a slow death via an untreated blood infection.  “So this is going to hurt.  I need to pour the antiseptic potion in them, cleaning them before I mend them.  But the sting is big.  Feel free to scream.  Let it all out.  A good stress relief too, yes?”

He pulled up a chair, pausing for just one more moment before tilting the potion over the first wound.  He made quick work, dripping a bit on each of them before the pain could fully set in.  A few moments of big pain were preferable to the mental pain when you dragged something like this out.  “Okay so this is a little mixture of herbs and a few other plants that are indigenous back home.  It should draw out the infection nicely.  I’ve never used it on this much surface area.  I don’t think it will hurt, it should have a nice, cooling affect actually.  Once that sinks into the burns I can give you the numbing solution.”

@fprewettx​

-

He opened his eyes warily at Greta’s insistence and turned a little so he could look at Mikha while he explained what was going to happen, nodding along. Fabian knew any type of treatment for the burns was going to be painful, most times when he got patched up it was hardly pleasant. Glancing at Greta, he was a little confused by her teary expression and reaching over to tap her on the forehead. “Its fine,” He told her. 

Despite Mikha’s several warnings, Fabian wasn’t prepared for the sting that sunk deep into each burn. He scrabbled at first for something to hold onto, and ended up snatching one of the throw pillows from the sofa and sinking his teeth into it, eyes shut tight against the burning. To Mikha’s credit, he didn’t hesitate and waste time by asking if Fabian was alright or fuss over him, he put his head down and did what he could to help and to get it over with as fast as possible. 

Fabian managed to nod again about the infection poultice, at this point not really caring what Mikha was doing on his back as long as it stopped the effect of what he could only assume was just a fresh new fire on his back. He sighed as something cool was slathered on the burns, pressing his face into the pillow for a long moment and letting his hands shake on either side from the pain that still reverberated through him like a drum. 

@miss-gretax​

It really wasn’t fine, in fact, things had never felt less fine, but she forced herself to smile anyway.  “I know.”  She was a fool, absolutely, but none of that really mattered right now.  Wincing as Mikha very straightforwardly explained what was about to happen, she resisted the urge to shut her eyes.  It was difficult to watch someone be in pain, but she knew that it was all meant to help in the long run.  She was also trying to make mental notes of all the things that Mikha was doing, and the different potions that he was using, just in case.  By Merlin, hopefully she would never need to treat someone who was burned in the future, but these days she really never knew who was going to show up on her doorstep, and in what condition they would be in.

Tempted to offer her help again, but not really wanting to get in the way of Mikha’s flow because he seemed like he really knew what he was doing, Greta sat still and silent.  She could always help with the bandaging when it came down to it, that was one thing that she knew how to do.

@mikhavulchanov​

[rosetylecr]

Natalia Dyer for Rogue Magazine.

[miss-gretax]

fprewettx​:

mikhavulchanov​:

He nodded, chuckling.  Fabian looked to be in fairly rough condition, but he had found that in dire situations people appreciated a level-head.  There was no use panicking.  He now understood why they hadn’t taken him to St. Mungo’s.  He hadn’t realized that he was a code 5 that night at the party, not that it mattered, but he had recognized his face on the posters the next day.  A person in need deserved help, not matter their arbitrary status, and he’d do his best to give it..  “A good and fair choice, my friend.  My healing skills are probably fine, but woefully undertested.”  

He sat back, thinking through his options.  “Okay – do you want me to make a numbing solution first?  I think that point an antiseptic potion on the burns is probably going to be quite painful.  I –  actually I may have some from when I had a nasty bite from a mandrake last month.  I’ll go check in a moment.”

Shaking his head, he turned to look at Fabian.  “No you aren’t.  There are lots of idiots in this world, and each of them are easy to pick out.  You aren’t an idiot, your a good person with an unfortunate penchant for bad luck, yes?”

His head turned toward Greta as she returned.  “Can you check in the medicine cabinet for numbing solution and the antiseptic potion?  The antiseptic potion is for sure in there, and I think the numbing solution is too.  I’m going to run back out to the green house and grab a few things.  While we’re gone,” he glanced at Fabian.  “lay back and try to make yourself comfortable, yeah?  Put whichever side of you hurts the most facing up.  We’ll start there.”

@miss-gretax​

-

“Whatever you need to do is fine,” Fabian said, leaning his elbows on his knees for a moment and then straightening, finding the position put too much pressure on his bruised ribs, wincing at the sudden stab of pain it caused. “I’m quite literally at your mercy.” 

His head lifted as Greta returned, eyes following her path. It was dangerous to attach his comfort to one person, he knew that and after losing Gideon he wished he could turn off the need for other people. From the sound of it, for all Mikha claimed he wasn’t used to healing others, he at least knew the basics and how best to start and the more Fabian watched Greta trust him, the easier it was to put his care in his hands. 

Obediently, Fabian laid out on his stomach on the couch, honestly not the best move given how tired he was. Most of the burns had collected on his back and shoulders, one stretching up his neck from where the doorway had collapsed on him. There were smaller burns on his chest and arms but those seemed less important and throbbed less than the larger, blistering ones. 

Alone for a moment, Fabian let his eyes take in a bit more of Mikha’s place. Eyes skimmed over a painting of an elephant with some haphazardly hung frames around it like someone much too short had been trying to do it by themselves. On one end of the sofa, a throw blanket was placed delicately with little fringe on either side. Even with heavy eyes, Fabian could see the little touches of home being tucked into the place. He closed his eyes for just a moment, confident they’d wake him if he fell asleep. 

@miss-gretax​

Greta had barely re-entered the room before she was given instructions, and she nodded, turning on her heel in the direction of the medicine cabinet, happy to feel helpful for once.  “Absolutely.”  Rummaging through, the bottles seemed clearly labeled enough and she grabbed what Mikha had told her to, quickly returning back to where Fabian had stretched out.  

She did her best to smile even though she felt like she was going to be sick all over again as she took in the burns all over Fabian’s body.  She was glad that he was laying face down so she could take a minute to collect her horror before he saw the look on her face.  It was worse than she ever could have imagined, and by the time she’d collected herself and sunk down to the floor beside him, it looked like he had fallen asleep.

Smiling sadly, she ran her fingers through Fabian’s hair a few times, wondering how much sleep he’d been able to get in the past few days with burns that looked so painful.  She’d let him sleep until Mikha came back, and then they’d probably have to wake him up.  As she watched him sleeping peacefully, the depth of her feelings for him whacked her so hard in the face that her eyes watered again.  Embarrassed even though nobody was watching her, she ducked her head and wiped at her eyes, keeping her head down until she heard Mikha walk back into the room.

“Hey, Fabian”, she rubbed at his arm gently.  “Mikha’s back and he’s going to fix you up.”

@mikhavulchanov​

[miss-gretax]

fprewettx​:

mikhavulchanov​:

He came back out a few minutes later in pajama bottoms and a grey tshirt.  He brought some out for Fabian as well, for once they got all of his wounds healed.  “I do,” he confirmed.  “her name’s Butterscotch.  She’s very small, but she’s stronger than she looks.  She’s around here somewhere.  Check back in the greenhouse.  If you head straight back you can’t miss it.”  He smiled at her before heading to the couch to assess Fabian’s condition.  

“I’m not a Healer,” he cautioned, sitting next to him on the couch.  “I’m just a bit of an academic.  I could make an attempt to heal you by magic, but I think a few of them are infected.  I’ve never done it before, but I’ve read the theory and I feel pretty strongly I could do it successfully.  But there’s a chance I could mess it up, and I want to be very transparent first.  The second option is we clean them and bandage them up.  I’ve got some magic ointments, and some plants that make for good burn remedies about.  I also could brew up a quick potion for the pain.  It should be ready by morning, and I’ve got some Muggle medication until that point that should take the edge off.  That method will be slower and more painful, but it’s harder to mess that one up.  I’m happy to do whatever it is you want to do, but I wanted to present you with all of the options.”

@fprewettx​

-

Fabian watched warily as Greta left to send an owl, leaving him and Mikha alone for the time being. At least he could appreciate Mikhail’s honesty as he sat down with him. “Right, as fun as it would be to be a practice dummy, I think maybe we should go with bandages instead of magic.” Realizing that sounded pretty rude, Fabian gave Mikha a small smile and distracted himself by messing with his hair. 

“Thank you, by the way, I know this isn’t-I’m sure you have better ways to spend your evening.” Fabian glanced around again nervously, looking for something to talk about that wasn’t how vulnerable he now found himself. His fingers drummed against his knees and finding he still didn’t know what to say he just shook his head and let out a breathy laugh, “I’m truly such an idiot.” 

@miss-gretax​

“Okay, thanks!”  Greta, still clutching Mary’s backpack, somewhat self-consciously headed off through the hallway, out into the greenhouse where she spotted the small but beautiful owl.  “Hi Butterscotch.  Is that okay if I ask you to take a letter for me?  It’s really important.”  The owl flew to her side immediately, and she looked around for some spare parchment, hoping that Mikha wouldn’t mind.  After a moment of deep thought, she decided to address the letter to Lily instead of Mary, hoping that Mary would forgive her for that.  They both deserved to know that Fabian was alright, at the very least.  She knew that the letter would have to be coded, but scribbled it out in a way that they’d hopefully understand.

After rolling up the parchment and tying it gently to Butterscotch’s outstretched leg, Greta smiled and gave the bird a few small pets just as the reality of the evening plummeted into her so hard that she nearly stumbled over.  This wasn’t normal!  This was so far from the realm of anything she would have ever expected to happen to someone that she cared about and she burst into tears, unable to stop herself, feeling horribly sad but thankful that she was alone.  Butterscotch tapped her arm with her beak, and Greta hiccupped, smiling at the bird.  “Sorry, Butterscotch.”  She continued to cry until she felt cried out, telling the owl, “I’m okay, I promise.  Be safe out there.”

Watching Butterscotch fly out the window, Greta focused on calming herself down, hoping that her eyes didn’t look too puffy before making her way back down the hallway and into the sitting room.  “Can I do anything to help, Mikha?”

@mikhavulchanov​

[miss-gretax]

ritaskxxter​:

The relationship with Greta was actually going better than expected. Like, a lot better than expected. She had truly expected the other woman to be so naive and…pure in a way. Almost like she didn’t care about the code system. Which was funny, considering Rita was sure that most people definitely did care. It had been…almost nice seeing her at the ball. However, they split up at some point and Rita didn’t really see her again after that. 

There were many things to write about after the ball. All the gossip and who was wearing what and a few truly juicy stories that she was sitting on at the time being. Which didn’t leave much time to stop by the bookstore to chat with Greta or seek out her friendship. Of course, when she did get the owl from her asking to meet up for tea, it wasn’t like Rita could say no. Besides, she was interested in what Greta had been up to. Mostly for ulterior motives, but also to just play up the friendship that she was buying hook, line and sinker. 

It was a windy and chilly day, nothing surprising considering how temperamental the weather was in London, and Rita was bundled up in a trench coat and leather gloves. She gave Greta a smile, walking over to the table, unbundling herself before sitting down. “Um,” she started, still trying to get her scarf off. “No, that’s fine. I’m not picky.” Which was a lie, Rita was very picky when it came to tea. But she didn’t want to be a bitch about it. “Oh, just staying busy with work. What about you?” 

*

“Okay, good.”  Greta smiled happily, remembering the tea she’d ordered so that she could make sure to order it for Rita the next time they met up.  “Yeah?  What kind of stories have you been working on?  I’m sure there have been lots of really important ones to keep up with.  Oh!  Did you have to write anything about the ball, or were you able to enjoy yourself without thinking about work?  Did you end up having fun at the ball?  I feel like you disappeared and I never saw you again after the brief hello we said.”  She forced herself to stop talking and take a sip of tea, “Sorry for all the questions.”  Greta had just gotten a little bit excited to see her friend after feeling like she hadn’t seen her in so long.

“Well...” she looked around, unsure if she wanted to jump right into everything that had been happening.  The last thing she wanted was for Rita to think that she’d only invited her out because she wanted to talk about herself.  But, she did have one really big question lingering, and now seemed as good a time as any to talk to Rita about it.  “Okay, you promise you won’t laugh?  So, at the Masquerade Ball I ran into Alecto Carrow, right, and she kissed me which maybe isn’t all that unusual, she’s so very beautiful and I’m sure that people want to snog her all the time.  But then after the ball, like a few days after I mean, I ran into Bellatrix Black in a pub, and then she walked me home which was quite nice of her, and then she kissed me too!”

Greta stopped to take a couple of breaths, puffing out her cheeks.  She wasn’t trying to be show-offy, but she was still confused and trying to make sense of it all.  “Do you think that - they have a bet or something?”  It was the only reasonable explanation she could think of for the whole thing.  It just seemed very unlikely that she’d barely gotten any attention her whole life, and now everyone was trying to snog her.  She didn’t want to be suspicious about it either, because she genuinely wanted to trust people, but she couldn’t help it.  “I hope you don’t mind me talking to you about this, but it’s nice to have someone to listen.”