pandora

i am a lady from mars, and i can unscrew the stars

[pandoralyons-blog]

bottomzy:

   “ You always get distracted - no wonder why my hair looks better than yours.” he joked lightly, his eyebrows narrowed in amusement. It was pure Frank to joke about such a matter. “ Oh, but everything is alright - right?” he  smiled down at her before taking the keys from her hand, opening the door for her. “ Nop, just me. I have night shift today, Alice is at training and figured you’d like some company in the morning?”

Pandora raised an eyebrow and took the keys back. “Don’t take my stuff, I don’t want you sneaking back in here after everything’s locked up.” She lit the candles and looked at him over her shoulder as she kept setting up. “Everything’s alright,” she said slowly, glancing at the door to make sure no one was coming in. “It’s just frustrating to never have the time I need to work. I have my job here and I need to eat and sleep occasionally. If I didn’t have to do anything else, I’m sure I’d be much further along.” She smiled. “Thanks for the thought. Do you want anything to eat?”

[pandoralyons-blog]

uncommonlily:

Lily laughed with the other girl. “Sure thing,” she joked. “I’ll get you a signed, first edition copy as well.” She still couldn’t believe she hadn’t thought of this idea before. It would be a great way to do what she loved to do, only this time the wixen world would actually get to see her works rather than just be the star of them. “That really is a brilliant idea. If you can come up with an idea like that for me, I’m surprised you haven’t got a best-selling series of novels out yourself.”

"You flatter me,” Pandora said, grinning. “But no, I’m not really a novel kind of person. I’ve read a lot but never had much of an interest in writing them. I’m more of an academic writer.” The Leaky Cauldron was busy now, or as busy as it ever got. Lots of customers were really just there to pass the time like they had before everything had happened, clinging onto old memories. “You know, potions and things like that.”

[pandoralyons-blog]

uncommonlily:

Lily laughed with Pandora. “Yeah, some things are always constant. And anytime, I’m happy to help.” She took another sip of her drink as Pandora helped other customers at the bar around her. She paused at the other girl’s idea, and was completely shocked she hadn’t thought of something like that before. This could be a way for her to keep writing, only this time for the magical world. And, this time, it wouldn’t have to be kept hidden from people. “That’s a brilliant idea, actually! Plus, Hogwarts has needed a new Muggle Studies book for years.” Despite all of that, Lily still felt a bit hesitant about the idea, especially because of the world they were currently in. “Do you think I could though? I mean, at a time like this?”

Pandora looked at her, a little surprised her idea was so well received. She was used to people shaking her off, this was a pleasant change. “Thanks! I’ll be expecting a share of the royalties.” She laughed. “Well, I think it’s really needed now. I know I’d find it helpful. I think most people would. And as long as it’s not, you know, threatening in any way, I don’t think there’d be any problem.” 

[pandoralyons-blog]

ordiinaireflower:

petunia nodded knowingly. this world was getting darker, they had an unspoken agreement. they helped one another. spells were hard to learn, even harder when you weren’t a magical being. the young woman watched in fascination as she caused the fire to erupt before entering behind pandora. “understood. however, i need food. my fridge is empty and i haven’t made a trip to the market yet.”

The candles blinked to life as Pandora finished the daily set up, and she smiled back at Petunia. Though they’d known each other for a while now, it still surprised her sometimes. She’d been sure since an early age that she would never really know any Muggles. She wanted to work on spells and she didn’t really see any point in her life change where it would be relevant. Things were different now, of course. “So you came here, for the finest cuisine on Diagon Alley,” she joked, stepping behind the bar and pulling her apron on. “What can I get you?”

[pandoralyons-blog]

macdonaldxmary:

Mary was relieved to hear what had kept Pandora busy, she truly believed the older girl would soon make a breakthrough discovery, that she would soon find a way to help them in these trying times. But she also believed that secrecy was of the outmost importance, and she would gladly keep the blonde’s work a secret. 

“A little bit” she said with a small shrug, “some people got pretty angry that the place was still closed” she shared, “but you know me, there’s no other place I’d rather grab a bite” she said with a smile. It was partially true, somehow saying that she didn’t want to go home would turn the mood gloomy, that was the last thing Mary wanted. Not when Pandora’s energy lifted her spirits so easily.

The door swung open with a creak that never went away, no matter how much they greased the hinges. Pandora was convinced the original owners had enchanted it for the look of things. A bit like the bells that rang when you entered shops sometimes, but a little creepier. She began the set up as a few other customers trailed in, taking their seats.

“Well, since I made you wait and my boss isn’t here to see me playing favorites, you’re at the front of the line.” She gestured at the board, unchanged from the day before. They always had the same food. “Anything catch your eye?”

[pandoralyons-blog]

nvrciissa:

“then we fight, panda. it’s really the only option we’ll have left.” narcissa sighed and glanced around, no one was paying attention. no one cared. they all thought they’d be fine, that this didn’t concern them. “i need your strongest cup of tea, immediately.”

Pandora laughed, turning to the kettle to pour a cup. “You know, I think you’re the only customer we’ve ever had here who refers to tea as ‘strong.’” She set it down in front of her, then sighed, leaning one hand on the bar. “I don’t want to live my life one fight to another. This isn’t how I thought it’d be when I was a kid.”

[pandoralyons-blog]

uncommonlily:

“Yeah, I suppose you’re right,” Lily nodded as she began to realize some of the positives of having experience so much of the Muggle world. Although it just reinforced the feelings in her that she would never be fully welcomed, or fully accepted, anywhere in either of the two worlds. “Well, I’ll give you a tip,” she began. “If somebody asks you about Muggle politics, just grumble and complain and say how much you dislike it and that you hate talking about it. That always worked for my dad when I was growing up.”

“It’s nice to see some things are the same, no matter if you have magic or not,” Pandora laughed. “Reminds me of my father. Thanks for the tip, I appreciate it.” She moved away for a moment to hand over a bowl of soup, then returned, leaning on the bar. “There’s a book idea for you. The 100 Things You Need to Know About Muggle Life. I can see it flying off the shelves.”

[pandoralyons-blog]

maraudingstag:

The name was vaguely familiar, in the way that so many were, thought James was more certain now that they hadn’t actually met before. She had probably been a few years ahead or behind him in school. Since she didn’t seem to recognize him either, a slight worrying guilt lifted from his shoulders. James never wanted to be the sort of person that forgot people he met, but names and faces sometimes escaped him at the worst of times.

“Yeah, suppose you’ve got it right there,” he said, with a slight chuckled. “Everyone’s looking over their shoulders more often than they see what’s right in front of them. Seems like a shame really.”

Pandora laughed, nerves making it sound a little weak. Before all of this, she hadn’t been an anxious person. She’d never been particularly tough, her upbringing had made sure of that, but anxiety had never taken over her life. Now, though, she felt like half of the time she was driven by paranoia, swirling dark and nauseating in her stomach.

“Tell me about it. I can’t remember the last time I went anywhere without looking around at all the corners. I just want to get about my day, but it’s difficult. I hardly ever wear robes anymore, which is a shame because they’re quite comfortable. I know everyone complained about them at school, but I think they’re underrated.”

[pandoralyons-blog]

 macdonaldxmary:

Mary’s shifts at the tattoo parlor were weird, she would be scheduled to work at random times. In a way she liked it that way, it was enough to being tracked by the government, to on top have someone figure out her schedule. And that’s how she had found herself waiting outside the Leaky Cauldron after a long shift. She had no desire to go home to her empty apartment filled with reminders of her failure. She had watched people huff in annoyance and leave but she didn’t have anywhere else to go, so she waited. With a smile she greeted the blonde making her way to the pub. “Don’t worry” she said softly moving out of the way, “you alright?” Mary could not help but worry about everyone.

She smiled at Mary, glad to see the younger woman. They’d been friends since Pandora had gone to her to get her second tattoo, the first having been when a Muggleborn Ravenclaw student had shown up in sixth year having learned how to do stick and pokes over the summer. Mary’s art had been significantly better and safer.

Pandora flipped through her ring of keys quickly, pulling out the correct one and unlocking the door. “Yeah, I’m okay. Busy with work.” She placed the emphasis on the last word, knowing that Mary would understand what she meant. She’d gotten runes tattooed on her arms for spellwork, and it had ended in her explaining the work she did when not at the Leaky Cauldron. “Have you been waiting for a while?”

[pandoralyons-blog]

uncommonlily:

Lily could feel Pandora’s hesitation after she had asked if she was alright, and Lily really couldn’t blame her. She probably wouldn’t have told someone she just met all her of feelings either. Lily just smiled kindly at her and nodded to let her know that she understood and that it was okay. She sighed when Pandora directed the question at her and noticed how her eyes flashed behind Lily once again. She figured the Muggles must have sat down now. “Yeah, it’ll be fine,” she agreed, hoping to convince herself as well. “I’m alright. Everyone in family is…like that too, so it’s mostly just…weird for me.”

Pandora nodded, wondering not for the first time what it would be like to have Muggles in her family. Probably quite difficult, though if her family weren’t so focused on staying relatively pure, it might not be so hard to get used to being around Muggles. “At least you spent time in the Muggle world before this,” she offered. “I get confused a lot. Didn’t even take Muggle Studies so it’s... strange.” She looked at her, hoping that that had made sense to Lily.

[pandoralyons-blog]

fcksirius:

The prospect of baring his soul to anyone, let alone someone he hardly knew, set Sirius’ teeth on edge. It was the dog in him, he supposed, the untameable wildness that caused his hackles to raise every time he was approached by someone he couldn’t fully trust yet. No, there was a very short, succinct list of people with whom he felt comfortable enough to truly express how he felt, only a few people who were privileged (or unfortunate, perhaps) enough to bear witness to the swirling miasma of emotions that he kept pent up inside his head and heart.

He shrugged again, face the picture of impassive calm, and anyone who didn’t know him well would have been easily fooled by how collected he appeared to notice the guilt and trepidation buried underneath. That was how he preferred living his life; sheltered by a facade that was so carefully constructed it was in almost no danger of crumbling. “Couldn’t sleep. If you were looking for a more interesting or emotional reason than that, sorry to disappoint,” he intoned casually, fighting the temptation to laugh at the blatancy of his lie, the lie he knew she couldn’t detect. “Company, though, is entirely within my capabilities.”

Looking back at him, she shrugged, one eyebrow raised. “What can I say? We get a lot of people in here eager to blabber on to anyone who will listen. Makes my job more interesting at least.” The truly interesting ones were the people who worked for the Ministry or even somewhere on the black market, drunkenly mentioning spells and creatures and items that she’d never heard of before. It’s why she’d taken this job, she could read books all day long but never find out what other wixen could. People that didn’t fit in that category were more on the entertaining side of things. Nights got long, and stories helped them go faster.

She pulled her wand out and aimed it at each of the tables in turn, mumbling “Scourgify” as she did. The crumbs and dried soup bits that the Leaky Cauldron’s patrons reliably left vanished. “Ah, well, if you’re keeping me company, I should probably introduce myself. Pandora. Lovely to meet you.”

[pandoralyons-blog]

uncommonlily:

“Yeah, I struggled with that, too,” Lily said. “I couldn’t fill up journal until at least third year.” She hadn’t missed the way Pandora had reacted to the people in muggle clothes coming in, as well as the fact that Lily bringing up the other girl’s writing hadn’t calmed her as Lily had suspected. Instead, it had only make her seem more afraid in a way. “Sorry, I don’t mean to be nosy, and you can absolutely tell me to bugger off if you want, but are you…alright?”

“Yeah, I’m-” She didn’t know how to proceed from there. Lily seemed like a lovely person, and from the way she had looked at the Muggles who had come in, probably not the type to turn her in. But she couldn’t take chances, especially not somewhere so public. “I can get just a tiny bit anxious about things.” She glanced at the Muggles, who had sat down at a table by the door. “I’m sure it’s fine though... What about you?”

[katyias-blog]

[pandoralyons-blog]

uncommonlily:

“You could always think about it as taking notes about your life,” Lily suggested with a shrug. “Might make it easier. It can be pretty therapeutic, too.” She noticed as Pandora looked past her at the door of the pub, and she followed her gaze. Her shoulders tensed and she sighed. She hated having to live in fear like this; it’s not like she could completely detach herself from muggles. Everyone in her family was a muggle. That wasn’t something she could easily forget. She turned back to Pandora when she spoke again. “I will,” she told her, smiling. “Same to you. If you ever compile your notes into a book, let me know. Maybe someday our plans will be able to change back to what they were before all of this.”

Pandora watched Lily’s gaze turn and noticed other wizards glancing surreptitiously at the new customers. She patted her hair back for a second, to try and calm her hands, already shaking from nerves. The idea of having all of her work compiled into one place, what she had dreamed of for years, now made her feel sick to her stomach. All her notes, easily found by Muggles and used against the wizarding world or destroyed. She forced a smile onto her face. “That’s a good way of thinking about journaling. Maybe I’ll give it another go. I remember as a kid I’d start diaries, but I’d always get bored and start making things up. There must be dozens of half-hearted attempts at my parents’ house.”

[pandoralyons-blog]

fcksirius:

Reaching into his pocket, Sirius fished out the loose change and placed the coins on the bar, sliding them over in her direction. “Cheers,” he nodded gratefully, pulling the bottle towards himself, feeling tempted to open it right where he stood, but knowing that it was probably better to retreat to the comfort of his flat first.

Her question made his forehead crease briefly in confusion, bemused as to why someone would even bother asking. Most people steered clear of people who stayed late in bars, fearful either of their drunkenness or of their foul mood, and it was an unspoken arrangement that suited Sirius very well. Expression returning to its habitual relaxed inscrutability, he lifted his shoulders in a nonchalant shrug. “Perfectly wonderfully, thanks.”

Pandora picked up the coins and counted them out quickly before dropping them into the box they kept under the counter. She locked it, already running through the closing steps in her mind. Clean the tables, put up the chairs, sweep the floor, put out the fire and candles, close the curtains, lock the doors. Distracted for a second, Pandora forgot the question she had asked, and looked at him in confusion for a second before her expression cleared.

“You sure? Most people who are here so late have something going on, and this is a no judgement zone.” She held her hand to her heart. “Honest. I just like the company.” This was true, though her hand stayed close to the pocket where she kept her wand. Not always a smart idea to let a strange man be there when no one else but her was, but it was less scary to her than being there alone. She’d rather know if someone was coming after her than be surprised.

[pandoralyons-blog]

bottomzy:

  Frank laughed softly, wrapping an arm loosely around Pandora’s shoulders - eyebrows narrowed in pure amusement. “ Hey, calm down Dora - nobody is going to beat your arse today.” It was merely a horrible joke, he did know that - but, the blonde knew he was joking so no need of being worried about her being mad at him AFTER. “ You alright, yeah? You’re almost never late.”

Pandora leaned into his arm for a second, then pushed him away with her elbow, smiling. There weren’t a lot of people who could calm her down when she was panicked about something, but Frank had always been a cheering presence in her life. “Yeah, yeah, don’t worry about me. I just had a lot going on and I got distracted. Have you been here a while? Is anyone else waiting?”

[pandoralyons-blog]

uncommonlily:

Lily was actually a bit surprised when Pandora said she also liked to write. She couldn’t recall anyone else she had known that had that common interest with her. “You can say that again,” she scoffed, taking another sip of her drink. Her plans definitely had to change after everything that had happened. “Uh, I’ve mostly kept journals and stuff, especially about my time at Hogwarts. They could probably make for some pretty good stories,” she said, looking down at her hands. “But we’ll see, I guess.”

Pandora passed a glass to a waiting customer, then turned her attention back to Lily. “I wish I were more able to keep a journal. I’m great at notes, but it falls apart when I try to write about my own life.” She glanced at the door, as a few people wearing Muggle clothes filtered in. The usual paranoia filled her, and she pressed it back down. Lots of Muggles came here not looking for anyone in particular, and plenty of wizards didn’t wear robes, especially these days. “Let me know if you ever write anything that’s available to read, I’d love to pick up something new. And be able to brag about knowing the author.”