RENAISSANCE

1 x 1 blog, penned by em

[rcnaissancewrites]

they fought over nothing. silly things, like the color of his tie or the wine they drank at dinner. he wore the blue satin tie rather than the green silk one she'd set out for him. she ordered a bottle of sauvignon blanc, ignoring his expressed interest in a vintage cabernet. he shouldn't set his wand on the table, she shouldn't threaten the waitstaff (until after they'd been served). she pushed, he pulled. it had been this way since they were young. childhood adversaries, as it appeared - but they had always spoken a language of their own. the eldest children of two sacred families: burdened by expectation, served on silver and gold, raised in the absence of affection. these small quarrels were fights neither needed to win, that were had without reason, and there was freedom in that.

by now, other patrons had looked on anxiously at the lestrange couple a number of times throughout the evening. they had a reputation, both together and apart, so it was anyone's guess as to how their tempers held with each escalating argument. would the restaurant burn to the ground or would the daily prophet announce a mysteriously murdered spouse the next morning? it would be no surprise if bets had been placed. but once the tab was settled, rodolphus stood with a sly grin and his hand stretched out to his wife.

" and here you told me you'd be on your best behavior tonight, " he teased, aware that he was just as responsible for their many, many squabbles. " i guess i can't take you anywhere, my love. but that's probably for the best. next time, we'll stay at home all evening, just the two of us. "

[rcnaissancewrites]

EVERYTHING BELOW THIS POST HAS BEEN ARCHIVED.

[rcnaissancewrites]

“ oh my god please don’t tell me you tried to make breakfast again, the stove hasn’t recovered since last time. ” oc out of ur league 🥺

Smoke filled the kitchen due to Odette's massive lack of basic cooking skills. One might think it wasn't dissimilar from potion-making, but they would be dead wrong. Crushing beetles, maintaining the blue flame, and turning the pot exactly three times made far more sense  than the specifics of baking muffins. As she pulled out the pan of charred pastries, she looked over Milo with a guilty look. She knew how much that man cherished his kitchen and she'd nearly burnt it down.

Her partner rushed into the room as the smell filled the house, striding to meet her and the blackened pan by the oven. It was a quick inspection that brought him to an obvious explanation. " Oh my god, please don’t tell me you tried to make breakfast again. The stove hasn’t recovered since last time. ” There was humor in his voice, and she flashed him a coy smile.

" I wanted to surprise you, " she admitted pathetically, finally abandoning her failure onto the counter.

He laughed, kissing her on her forehead. " You can surprise me in other ways - just maybe avoid burning the house down. "

[rcnaissancewrites]

“I lost you” “you never had me” FOR ALINA AND GILDY SENDING ANYWAYS

Gilderoy Lockhart wasn't nearly as tactless as he presented himself to be - every action was considered carefully, from those charming smiles to the golden sheen of his hair. There was part of him that was hardly a person at all, instead a character created to sell novels and woo ill-deserved fans; the part that appeared on magazine covers, attended book signings. The rest of him was indeed human, capable of emotion beneath arrogance, thought behind recklessness, even the capacity to love regardless of his deception.

And he loved Alina Sprout. If asked how that happened - how he was foolish enough to let that happen - he'd have no answer. She challenged him, she teased him, she ruffled his hair and he hardly cared to fix it. The only person he'd ever loved before her was himself, and in her presence, any sense of ego drifted away.

Did she know how badly he wanted to admit his sins to her when their lips met? How he wanted to spill his darkest secret when their hands brushed? It should've come from him - from his words, from his own admission. But that wasn't how she discovered the crimes he committed for his own vapid career. He hunted the world for adventure, just not his own - he'd steal the minds of those with richer lives and use those memories to make him, well, richer. It was harmless when there seemed to be nothing to lose but perhaps his own reputation, if the scandal ever broke.

But Alina was too clever for him - she always had been. There was angry in the tears that flowed down her cheeks, betrayal in her watery eyes. Perhaps his greatest mistake of all was causing her this pain, when all he ever wanted was to love her - the first time he wanted to love someone, so desperately.

" At least you've got your next book then, right? " she seethed, gripping the vial of a poor cursebreaker's memory. Gilderoy flinched as she slammed it to the table, and reached out to her as she walked past.

" But I lost you, " he said quietly, so quietly he wondered if she heard him. His voice lacked the enthusiasm, the bright disposition it usually held - with her, there was no need for that careful act. And now, there was only desperation left in its wake. He grasped her arm gently, as if holding there for just a moment longer would fix something.

Instead, she pulled away again. " You never had me, " she said strongly, but the hurt in her tone was unmistakable.

As the door closed behind her, Gilderoy realized a truth that might have eluded him his entire life - fame and glory were nothing compared to Alina Sprout. And he'd lost her, even if he'd never truly had her

[rcnaissancewrites]

@ofvcnguard​

Gilderoy seldom visited his family - and how could they blame him? He was Witch Weekly's Most Charming Smile award winner three years running, he was a best selling author, he was Gilderoy Lockhart. Surely his sisters understood - the muggle world simply wasn't as busy or interesting as that full of magic and his adoring fans. Yet, with a spare afternoon, he decided he was missing his other half. Gianna truly was the better of the two, with a far purer heart that he would ever understand. Of course, this was a sentiment he buried far below his deep insecurities and contrarily gigantic ego - one he would never share with the twin who was once his best friend.

The golden-haired idiot apparated into her flat with a slight pop. He practiced the skill until he could do it almost silently - stealth was a necessity in his, uh, line of work. It was only a few strides to where she was sat at a desk and he peered over her shoulder, obviously with no concern for her privacy as she seemed to be writing a letter. " Which meadow? And who's Aleksi? "

[rcnaissancewrites]

@ghostswish​

It wasn't recent - her transformation. Sometimes, it felt like she had been born a monster - bloodthirsty under the full moon and yet praised for her beauty, her poise in her more subdued form. Other times, the memories were so vivid that the bite could have occurred just the previous day. The writhing pain, the pouring blood, the pleas for death under a starless sky. But there had been no one to put her out of her misery, just has there had been no one to bandage her wound. They abandoned her at the first sign of danger - graduates from Beauxbatons fulfilling a dare to enter the nearby forest during their last days at the castle, and yet they were still children scared of the dark.

It had been twenty years since she staggered from the tree line at daybreak, shocking the friends who thought her dead. They begged to know what occurred after they left, but she knew the life waiting for her as a werewolf - knew it even as her heart struggled to beat. And yet her cleverness, despite her preference for death, allowed for her survival. A close patch of wild dittany closed the wound, and yet she reopened it with a sharp rock to mask the bite, to explain the blood and her absence. Not a werewolf attack, but an injury from some other creature. She would not live the life of a pariah, and she didn't.

Odette would walk through the Ministry wearing the plum-colored robes of the Wizengamot; she would gain compliments on her appearance, earned favors simply for being pretty. There was pride, but there was anger. They would never know how ugly she could become; they would never see her, beyond what she allowed them. She was Odette Dubois, and she would be hiding in plain sight her entire life.

The transformations could not be avoided, no matter how desperately she tried those first few years. Odette would wake up covered in someone's blood, or in mud, or somewhere miles from where she started. How many she had killed, she would never know. But her station and pay now allowed her sink generous amounts of money into very expensive Wolfsbane potions, so at least now her mind wouldn't disappear in the grotesque body. Now, she almost enjoyed running beneath the full moon with no one to stare, no one to hide from.

And yet on that night, someone was staring. Nearing dawn, the moon disappearing just as the sun rose, someone stared at her form as she lunged to attack the presence that startled her. She hovered above him, labored breathing, anger coursing through her veins. Her claws were poised at his throat to attack an enemy, and yet it was just an innocent man pinned beneath her. The sun released her after a tense few moments and the pain of her return began.

Minutes passed before she was once again a human, standing before the stranger naked without an ounce of shame - rage was the occupying emotion. " What the hell do you think you're doing? I could have killed you! I should kill you. " A wind blew, reminding her of her lack of both fur and clothing as a chill ran up her bare spine. " Give me your shirt, " she demanded, hand extended expectantly.

[rcnaissancewrites]

RAVEENAPATIL

——

HER MIND WAS RIDDLED WITH CONFUSION, but there was no use revealing that to the girls. So she works to keep the furrows from her brows, the annoyance from seeping into her words.   “   And I them,   ”   she’s still replying to him through his daughters, voice sickly sweet. And when at last they run off to their rooms the smile turns into something far more tart, as if the corners of her mouth had been waiting to flatten.   “   My preference is to not have been lied to…   ”   Despite trying to adopt the sort of tone that hides the hurt behind her words, there is no hiding from him even after all the time that has passed.   “   What happened to telling each other everything?   ”

For how long had he maintained this lie? The perfectly manicured picture of domesticity and success; something she clung to even from afar, something she knew their parents were proud of wherever they were. Had it been weeks? Months? Years? She didn’t want to speak it. Beneath it all is the glaring truth that she’d be back in an instant had she known, and the accompanying fear that maybe he just hadn’t wanted her there. Her eyes linger on the empty places where photographs used to be: her brother’s wedding day, mum and dad’s last vacation, Zoya and the girls at Mungo’s. She shook away the feeling that something far worse was happening here, tried to give him the benefit of the doubt.   “   I’ll take green, thanks.   ”   Reply is given through a sigh as she trails behind him, lingering at the entrance of the kitchen with arms folded defensively across her chest. A small smile, an attempt at being cheerful.   “   Just where is that wife of yours? With all her business trips it’s no wonder you’re taking time off.   ”

---

Jai had never pretended to understand what it was Zoya felt when she looked at their daughters - how she was able to walk away from those two little girls, with their bright smiles and melodic laughter. He never understood how she could walk away from him. But she did, and when she did it felt like his entire world collapsed. The love of his life, willingly gone from them, his family entirely broken apart. All he wanted to do was owl his sister - to beg for her return. He wanted to know that she was caring for Padma and Parvati while he continued working to heal people, or maybe he would have found an excuse to quit even if Raveena was here helping him through it all. Most of all, Jai wanted to hug her, to know that there was one person in the world who would never leave him. And yet, she already had. He imagined her grinning somewhere beautiful, like Morocco or Brazil or any other extraordinary place she'd visited. So, he never wrote her what happened. Perhaps if he convinced her that all was as it had been, he could convince himself that everything would be okay as well.

The photographs stayed for as long as he could bear them, but walking past their parents, past Zoya, every day pained him too much. It was a carade he could no longer live with, even if his letters still maintained the story to Raveena. " Lied - I - uh...well... " Jai rubbed the back of his head and squeezed his eyes shut, as if he could make this entire moment disappear. It was impossible to see the disappointment in her eyes, it reminded him of when he had to tell her their parents were dead. " Let's...get the tea first. " A coward's move, a way to delay the inevitable.

Turning quickly and hurrying into the kitchen, he tried to escape her, if only for long enough to consider his options. There was only one - tell her everything and break her heart, reveal the truth and make her think that she hadn't deserved to hear it before. She had - she always had - but it would be the resulting sentiment nonetheless. As a healer, his hands were seldom unsteady; the kettle shook as he set it on the stove and let the water heat, finally turning to Raveena. She looked so much like their father. She had his strong jaw, his eyes, but their mother's slim nose. " Green it is, " he replied, although he didn't turn to reach for it. If he looked away, he would lose the image of their parents hidden in her face.

Jai couldn't stop the way his body reacted to Zoya being referred to aloud - his shoulders tensed, his chest felt as if it had caved in; he knew his eyes closed for a moment too long and he was standing far too straight to be casual. " I haven't seen her in two years. And she hasn't seen me, or the girls. " There was a bitter venom in his tone that seldom had a place with Jai. But what else could he have for her, except resentment for the woman who devastated his life? Except love? " I quit Mungo's about a year and a half ago. It...It didn't make sense, trying to balance...everything. " Then he paused, waiting for her questions - she was likely to have them and he had no idea how to proceed from here.

[rcnaissancewrites]

@nomcurners​

" Auror Longbottom? " The call of her name ripped her attention away from the case file spread out haphazardly on the desk before her - they had a strong lead on a potential Death Eater, but were yet to have sufficient evidence to make an arrest. Frank was off pursuing a lead, while she elected to stay in order to find any discrepancies in the intel they'd gathered. So far, everything looked fine. Most her of shift had been spent worrying over her husband - she trusted him, knew exactly what he was capable of, yet his missing memories had her an anxious wreck every time he left her side while on duty. Alice ran her hands through tangled hair, then pinched the bridge of her nose. " Yes? What is it? " Lower departments often needed Aurors for this and that - she wasn't expecting to hear that her sister was currently in a holding cell.

The shock of the announcement quickly turned to rage. How dare she. How dare she embarrass Alice in front of her colleagues, in front of the entire department. How dare she sneak her way back into Alice's life after Alice had made it clear she wanted nothing to do with her. How dare she abandon her baby sister all those years ago, only to make a sudden resurgance in the middle of a war. Antonia - the sister she seldom spoke of, the sister who broke her heart. Once upon a time, Antonia had been Alice's hero. Now Alice held the key to her freedom.

Antonia had been back in London for a while now - this wasn't something Alice was ignorant of. But, despite her parents' pleas, the auror refused to make any contact, refused offers for family dinner or even to exchange casual owls. Stubbornness ran through her veins. Anyone who'd shared a single conversation knew this well. This time, as she stormed through the halls of the DMLE, her runaway sister was the sole target of this long-hardened grudge. Heeled boots clicked loudly on the marble floors, and her long coat streamed behind her, creating a daunting image for the subordinate offices she approached. Alice hardly bothered to ask for permission as she surged toward the holding cells - criminals, and her own big sister among them.

Alice didn't want to look past the bars. If she did, she'd turn into a little girl again - someone weak and hopeful, gazing at her hero with bright, adoring eyes. She must stay this hardened woman in order to face who peered between the iron - a criminal, a runaway, the source of broken hearts. With a clenched jaw, she ground out, " I'm here for Fortescue, Antonia. Why was she arrested? " Whatever the crime - so long as it didn't verge on murder, which she doubted it did - Alice knew this would all end with her turning the key and releasing her sister back into the world. It would not, however, end with a warm reunion and kind gestures. Alice had none left for Antonia. She'd saved that kindness for years until she realized she was waiting for no one.

[rcnaissancewrites]

@nomcurners​

Pomona looked Finn up and down with shrewd, judging eyes as she watched him fuss over her planter of dittany. The Finnigan boys were an odd case. They were adopted by Hogwarts - more by its professors, really - at a young age. She was only an assistant professor then, teaching third years and below, and closer in age to the students than most of her colleagues. It was because of this that she became somewhat of an overbearing older sister to the two boys, worrying over their clothes and coursework, handing out generous detentions to whomever crossed them (justified or not). It was a disappointment when neither actually graduated from school, only because she had seen their brilliance. But life had been cruel. She'd watched Finn protect Rory from it as best he could all this time, and tried to protect both of them herself. If the current state of the more sullen brother was any indication, Pomona had done a rotten job at it.

She leaned against the long work counter lining the greenhouse, planting a hand firmly on her hip. " When was the last time you ate something other than soda bread and butterbeer? " Pomona had cared for him, worried over him, for ten years now. The boy was no mystery to her, although he may have had everyone else fooled.

[rcnaissancewrites]

JAI & RAVEENA

——

SHE WOULDN’T CALL IT RUNNING, WHAT SHE HAD DONE. Though some undoubtedly would. She was angry, she was hurt, she was all the things that people had told her she would be. But she was all of the ugly things they had forgotten to mention, too. She was envious——of the moments Jai was afforded during their parents’ last few months. She was useless——what good was a daughter who couldn’t braid her mother’s hair when her arms grew too weak? What good was a daughter who couldn’t bring her father tea, knowing she was the only one that made it quite right? She was guilty——of blaming her brother, in so many small ways, for something that had never been in his control. The truth was, Raveena hadn’t run away at all; she had forgotten herself in the endless days that preceded her loss, and the endless days that followed. She wouldn’t call it running. It was more like searching.

But the trouble with searching was that she had never quite figured out where to start. Days turned into months, and months into years, and still she never quite found what she was looking for. It was difficult to return to London, in part because it meant putting the work she’d done to the test, and in part because it meant forgiving herself for what she might still fail at. Even after two years, she didn’t feel quite whole. Even after two years, she wasn’t filled with forgiveness or joy or any real tangible result. Even after two years, she both longed for and feared what it would mean to be call home home again.

Though, it seemed home had done some changing of its own.

“   Hardly the way to greet your favorite little sister after two years away.   ”   She tries to keep the furrow in her brow for longer than the split second that it remains there, her arms folded across her chest. But she’s so glad to see him, in spite of the day’s revelations. Eyes move from her brother’s face, and she speaks directly to the toodler on his hip, a large smile spreading across her lips.   “   Tell da’ that he’s very rude to auntie Veena,   ”   she pays him no more mind as voice dips into a coo, reaching for Padma and inviting herself in.   “   Very rude indeed.   ”   Her luggage won’t wheel itself, but that’s the least he can do. Raveena may have been happy to see him, but that didn’t mean she was happy with him. She follows the sound of crying, and at first sight of her Parvati comes rushing to greet her, tugging on her dress. She swoops her up, making small talk with the girls until at last she hears Jai enter again, not bothering to turn as she speaks.   “   I stopped in at Mungo’s.   ”   And then a pointed look as she rises from where she’d been sitting with the girls.   “   You have some explaining to do. Over tea.   ”   It isn’t a question.

--

It seemed two years of lies, of carefully crafted letters and expertly planned visits, had come to an end. Worrying Raveena with his current state of life was the last thing he'd wanted to do. She was out exploring, having adventures, finding herself. What right did he have to unburden himself on her? To add to the plethora of emotions that already plagued her? She tried to hide her resentment, but he had felt it coming off her in waves following the death of their parents. Raveena was his baby sister, after all - he knew her better than he knew even himself. He could read her mind with just a look, he could tell her mood by her posture. She could hide behind masks, but not from him. So why did he let her leave, knowing that they needed each other than more than ever? Why did he lie to her for so long? The answer was simple: her happiness would always matter more than his own. It was his job as her big brother, but he hadn't been able to protect her from the grief that consumed them both. The least he could do was let her be happy away from him, if that's what she needed.

Something like fear and guilt coursed throughout his veins as he weakly let Raveena take her niece, as he stared at the luggage left for him to haul in. There was no way he could keep up the ruse with her here, unplanned and ill-timed. " The girls missed you, " he called out feebly. His mind worked quickly to come up with ways to convince her everything was just as she left it. Zoya was simply away on business again, he was still a healer. It would work. The suitcase had made it safely into the apartment and he felt like his chances were...somewhat acceptable. That was, until, she revealed her first stop of the day. The shock caused him to close the door harder than he intended. Jai turned slowly, speechless. What was he supposed to say? " I have black tea or a green tea blend. Do you, uh, have a preference? " he finally managed to spit out, not acknowledging the mention of his former workplace as he rushed into the kitchen and started the kettle. He really needed to work on the whole honest and straight-forward thing, but at least his lies weren't out of malice...just cowardice and a bit of care.

[rcnaissancewrites]

@nitwitisms​

Harry was by no means a fussy child, but even he had his bad nights. And tonight was certainly one of those. The boy wailed until his throat was raw and it was his own exhaustion which finally calmed him. When his eyes closed - and stayed closed - Lily let out a heavy sigh of relief. Finally. She had been rocking him for nearly two hours, begging him to stay quiet since James had work early the next day. Of course, Harry hadn't cared and continued on. But now she set him delicately in his crib, tiptoeing out of his room in a desperate attempt not to wake him again. She made it all the way to bed, cuddling beneath the covers without hearing their son again. Good, all was well again. Harry was asleep, James was asleep, and soon she would be too - or not. Lily grimaced, pinching her eyes shut as she said, " I really, really hoped he wouldn't wake you. " She shifted, turning to face her husband. " Sorry, " she whispered with a tender smile.

[rcnaissancewrites]

@ofvcnguard​

It was dark magic which separated them - spells so ancient that even immortal souls had long forgotten them. Five hundred years ago, the young wizards were unaware of the evil that would be thrust upon them. Sebastian Castillo, highborn and pure, longed for someone lesser. Only an artist, impure and penniless, but he loved her still - loved her more for it. Caterina. He would whisper her name in the dark where they met, where their magic intertwined and the rules of his family didn't exist to keep them apart.

Urgency set in when his betrothal became certain. He would wed no one but Caterina, and yet there was another who would soon take his name. There was someone named Rosier, a powerful wizard who could help them. Perhaps it was the panic or the desperation that made him overlook missing details that the mysterious man failed to supply, but still he trusted that this was their true solution. Rosier could aid their elopement, give them charms so no one could find them, or something along those lines. Whatever the method, Sebastian craved a life with Caterina and would pay any price to live it.

Rosier's solution was not a life for them together, but several apart. Love is weakness, he insisted between mutterings of a dead language. If you still want to be together in five hundred years, then your suffering will have been worth it. If not, then you'll have learned my lesson. After that, being near each other was pain, as if someone was casting crucio on them and refused to let up. Miles and countries apart were not enough to sate the pain, and so there was always an ocean between them. Even words on parchment from one another was agonizing.

Five hundred years apart, living countless lives just as Rosier commanded. Whatever this curse was, it gave the burden of immortality as well. Sebastian was not a vampire, nor did he associate with the mysterious Flamels. He had centuries to ponder his own existence, wondering when it would end and if the years would catch up all at once. Rosier had been nothing but a trickster - he expected their sentence to end only for their immortality to end with it, leaving them finally dead rather than reunited.

And here he was, set to discover the end of the curse. More than his existential questions, he wondered about Caterina, as he always did. Had she forgotten him? Would she come to Diagon Alley, where they once strolled hand in hand with the stars shining above? Or would she stay wherever she had settled this lifetime, content without him? The entire bench shook under the force of his bouncing leg, unable to stop his anxious thoughts as the clock ticked and minutes passed by. Five hundred years and a day, to be safe - that was their promise. He had kept his - where was she where was she where was she?

Sebastian stood to begin pacing, a routine he'd taken up over the past two hours - he would sit with his quivering leg, he would stand and pace the length of the alley, he would return to the bench again. This time, however, the cycle was broken. He'd barely taken a step when he saw her, not ten feet away, as beautiful as she'd been that fateful night. Every muscle in his body relaxed, every thought in his roaring brain calmed, and he released a breath he'd been holding for five centuries. " Caterina. "

[rcnaissancewrites]

@ghostswish​

The death of their parents was unbearable. For the first few days, there was numbness, confusion. Their illness had been severe, but St. Mungo's was more than equipped to heal them. Jai himself had insisted on taking over their treatment and refused to leave during their quarantine. He slept in his office, showered in healer facilities. Even Raveena took up residence on his couch some nights and brought him dinner on others. She wasn't allowed near them like he was, restricted to sad gazes and waves through the thick glass window of their secluded room. At first, the treatment seemed to be working, but while their mother got better, their father got worse. Then, even their mother follow suit. He grew desperate, enlisted the help of senior healers, but they all told him the same thing: say your goodbyes.

And, so, there was numbness the first few days, as Raveena and Jai held hands over the fresh graves of their parents. Then Raveena was gone. He was happy for her, happy to see her explore the world and live her life. He worried that she was running, but was he any better? Guilt came after the numbness. Every time he stepped into St. Mungo's, he remembered their gaunt faces and the hopelessness each time he attempted a new treatment. They only humored him, let him buy time with draughts and spells, knowing all the while that nothing would save them. They knew their deaths were certain and he saw that in every weak smile, but he refused to accept that fate as easily. And yet, they were right. He remembered they were right each time he was forced to pass by their room, each time he lost another patient. It was a year later that the twins were born, that his love left him. She had been the one remaining light in his life - there was darkness in her wake, just as there was in his parents', but she left him with two shining brighter. Padma and Parvati.

The twins gave him a reason to find joy again, but also a reason to escape. An excuse to leave, to never had to see his parents' death beds again. Jai simply couldn't balance parenthood and his career at once, he told people, and so he took a job at the Leaky Cauldron with more forgiving hours. It had been that way for two years and the guilt subsided, but only in the way you can pretend the horizon has moved further away if you don't look back to it. It waited for him on late nights, or when his gaze lingered too long on their pictures. He was a coward, he knew that, which is why he never told Raveena what had become of him. He wrote her wonderful things about the twins, carefully avoiding the topic of their mother and his career. It would come to an end eventually, but he would keep up the ruse as long as possible. Raveena deserved happiness wherever she could get it, even if he had to sacrifice some of his own.

There was a light knock at the door. At first, he tried to ignore it. Padma was sobbing, hysterical over something he couldn't determine, while Parvati found a magazine with Gilderoy Lockhart on the cover to be very fascinating. The knock came again, louder this time. With a frustrated groan, he balanced Padma on his hip and ripped open the door with more force than intended. He nearly dropped the toodler when he saw who was on the other side. " Raveena? "

[rcnaissancewrites]

@nomcurners​​

" I don't think it was that bad, " Safiya insisted, not even believing herself. It was bad. In fact, it was horrible, mortifying, embarrassing, and any other applicable synonyms. Three mannequins had been massacred in her clumsiness. One fell prey to a flying pair of scissors, another was hit by a stray splicing charm from her dropped wand, and the third was messily embroidered by stray enchanted needles. Having so many moving parts in her studio required concentration and, usually, Safiya could manage it with little effort. But as she pinned the hem for Grace's new skirt, Raveena decided to stop by and the chaos began. " My head just goes completely empty. I don't know where my brain goes, but it takes a nice long vacation when Raveena is around. " She let her head slam down to the table. Muffled by the wood, she added, " sorry for pinning your leg. "

[rcnaissancewrites]

@ghostswish​

Safiya held up the finished product proudly - red fringe fabric expertly crafted into a heart-shaped pillow. And just in time, too. " R-Raveena! " she stammered, jumping up from her station nestled in the corner of their flat. The motion knocked a plethora of supplies onto the floor, including but not limited to: a jar of pins, a pair of scissors, and two spools of fabric which were unrolling even as Safiya approached her friend (crush). " So, I, uh, I had some extra fabric just waiting to be thrown away and I decided to make it into this pillow for you. I mean, for the flat. Or you. If you want it. Either way, I just thought you'd like the color. " Safiya could feel just exactly how red her face was turning as she held out the object for Raveena to see. Thank god Grace was out. She wouldn't let her live this down - she hardly let Safiya live down her very obvious crush to begin with. After witnessing this, Grace might...well, Safiya wasn't sure what Grace would do, but she knew it would be even more mortifying than this very moment. How Raveena didn't know baffled her. Safiya became so clumsy around Raveena, so frazzled and tongue-tied. Being friends with her was difficult enough, trying to act normal around the beautiful girl, but sharing a flat made it all the more complicated.

[rcnaissancewrites]

@ofvcnguard​

" I swear this isn't weird, " but of course, she had said this several times over the past twenty minutes of leading him through dark hidden corridors. The actual, real, legendary Madam Malkin would never stoop so low as to make a custom jacket for Sirius Black. It simply wasn't something the old woman would waste her oh-so precious time on. Safiya on the other hand, could think of no higher honor - and perhaps a part of the allure was bothering her grandmother by muddling their exclusive clientele. ( Which, she pointed out several times, hadn't been very exclusive at all for quite some time. ) Still, Safiya had to hide away her own separate business deep within the building where it couldn't be found by the pretentious crone. She wanted to create more modern fashion with muggle inspirations, but that was apparently unacceptable.

Safiya finally came to a stop and tapped four times on the brick wall before them. It crumbled away, leaving her studio deep beneath Diagon Alley. Bright orange walls lined with sparkling lights and a black shag carpeting created the base to the room. It was littered with fabrics and patterns and half-completed projects, but in the center was a leather jacket carefully displayed on a model. " So, what do we think? Love it? Hate it? Are you thinking of burning it on the spot? You're killing me here, Black. "

[rcnaissancewrites]

@nomcurners​

Jai didn't know how he would survive without Dani. The Cauldron had been especially busy - weekends, and all - so he wasn't able to pick up the twins until nearly two hours after he'd told her he would. This wasn't the first time he'd missed the deadline, nor would it be the last. He needed to remember to give Dani an incredible birthday gift. " I'm so sorry, " he said immediately as a way of greeting. " It was impossible to get away early, then 'staying a little longer' turned into two hours, and I didn't even have a spare moment to send an owl and - " he finally halted himself, letting out a sigh and a relieved smile at the sight of his sleeping daughters. " Hopefully they weren't too much trouble. "