june chambers. (monthofjune) wrote in caged, @ 2013-08-15 21:56:00 |
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Entry tags: | ! 97-08, [ backstory ], [ log ], anthony goldstein, june chambers |
WHO: Anthony Goldstein and June Chambers.
WHEN: Ummm, sometime in the last week.
WHERE: Baker Street, London.
SUMMARY: A nerdy outing, also, talking about Muggle parents.
RATING: PG-13, shockingly.
STATUS: Completed log.
June was glad that she'd taken the trouble to ring Anthony and ask if he'd like to go to the Tate with her. As the summer had progressed, her parents, her mum especially, had gotten especially paranoid about her safety, and she'd had little opportunity to leave the house except to do a few small errands. She understood her mum's concerns, of course, since the war had taken a frightening turn since the Muggle-born Registration Commission and June wasn't even of age, but it was all very lonely, being cooped up in the house with nowhere to go. Her mum had agreed she could go on her desired outing if she found someone of age to go with her, and thus, she and Anthony were now sitting in a Pret A Manger on Baker Street, as they'd decided to, you know, eat something before moving on to an impromptu trip to the planetarium. She took a sip of her Orangina before speaking. "You know, I'm fairly certain this is the first time that I've been more than five blocks from my house in a week." Anthony had also been glad to get out for the day, things at home had been tense, his mother who was a Muggle was in hiding somewhere for her own protection. It wasn't the same there without her and at least he has the noise and company to distract him from how depressing everything was. June was good company anyway, both of them had a Muggle parent and found it fun to pop in and out of both worlds. And it was better to sit here than stay at home and worry. "Well if you want to go out again you can ring me," Anthony told her. "It's nice to be out, I needed to stretch my legs a bit too." The offer was tempting, but June had a feeling that it would be imposing to ring too often. She couldn't even properly ask Stella to go out, because she wasn't of age and thus, her mother thought that they'd be sitting ducks if any Death Eaters decided to attack them. (Though why any Death Eaters would be interested in any unassuming sixteen year old girls on a day outing, her mum couldn't say, and she had no response to June pointing out that the law allowed for underaged wizards to use magic in emergencies, anyway.) "What, you don't walk around your house?" she teased. "Just lay in bed all day? Honestly, though, my mum's been losing her mind. You should have heard her before I went to work this morning." Her voice changed to a less-than-flattering imitation of her mother. "Now, make sure you bring your wand, but don't use it unless you're in danger. And if anyone seems shifty or overly interested in you, come home straight away. Be sure to ask Anthony something personal so you'll know he isn't someone Polyjuiced, but what if he's been Imperiused? Are you certain about this, Junie?" “Yep you caught me all I do is sit and read,” Anthony said with a grin. His dad didn’t seem as bad as June’s mother, but he had still cautioned him about going out, seeming relieved when he realized that Anthony was headed out into the Muggle world. But still had had been given change with the promise that he would call his sisters if he got into trouble and advice where to keep his wand so it wouldn’t be noticed by the Muggles. “I mean, no offense, but I don’t know why they would come after us, we’re basically harmless,” Anthony said. Sure they were both talented enough but they were 16 and 17 year olds who weren’t Harry Potter. “But I mean it’s good that she’s worried about you and everything, but yeah it’s kind of... frightening?” He wasn’t sure if that was the correct word, but it was something. “That we’re concerned about it even happening.” He pursed his lips together and wondered if he should tell June about his mother, he’d already told Terry and Michael, and of course Rachel knew. June sighed. She did understand why her mum was concerned, she really did, but that didn't make it any less irritating when she wanted to have some semblance of a life. "I've tried telling her that, but she says that Death Eaters don't care, and I don't know what it's like because I wasn't alive the first time around. But, I mean..." She shot a furtive look around the cafe, and of course only saw what one would have expected to -- ordinary Muggles on their lunch hour. "I doubt they know who either of us are. They have bigger fish to fry. But Mum thinks that since Dad's a Muggle... well, you know." “Yeah, I know,” Anthony said. He also kept looking around but he didn’t see anything strange, just loads of people enjoying their afternoon meals. “I think that’s what my dad worries about too, I mean he and my mum were married during the first war, so she understands a bit too but...” he trailed and pursed his lips together. Should he tell her? If there was anyone who would understand it was probably her. “I want to tell you something, but it needs to stay between us.” His voice was soft so that even if there was a Death Eater at the next table, which he doubted, they wouldn’t be able to overhear them. She pursed her lips and leaned in. She hoped that he wasn't about to tell her that he was a Death Eater in disguise, and then realised how stupid she was being. Mum's paranoia was really starting to get to her. June kept glancing at two middle-aged men in business suits and wondering if they were really wizards, even though she knew they weren't, because they were talking about Microsoft stocks, and she was fairly sure no self-respecting Death Eater would know what that meant. "No, of course. I can keep a secret." He leaned towards June just to be sure that no one but her could hear, he wasn’t going to take any chances. “My mum...she’s gone,” Anthony said, looking down at what remained of his lunch. “My dad was really worried, so she’s gone and I don’t know where she is. He says she’s safe for sure.” Well at least he wasn’t crying, he thought, but he didn’t look up at June either to read her expression. He didn’t know what she would think, but she had a Muggle parent too...surely her mum would be worried for her dad. "Oh, god." The first words out of June's mouth were unintentional, and she felt a little bad that they hadn't been something better. She pursed her lips again, trying to think about what the right thing to say was. She knew that saying at least his mum was safe was probably a cold comfort, that wasn't really the point, was it? And she also felt uneasy that her father was still around, not that he was likely to leave, anyway. He had patients to attend to. "I'm really sorry," she said. "I mean... it's just awful, that that's what we've come to. Families should be able to stay together." “Yeah, thanks,” Anthony said, still not quite making eye contact. “I just - you know I know it’s not safe, but I think I would worry less if she was where I could see her? I know that’s idiotic.” His father had done what needed to be done but Anthony didn’t like it, he still needed his mother, but then he felt bad for being selfish, he wanted his mother, but he wanted her alive. But he felt alone without her in the house and around and his dad was a pretty awful cook. “They’re ruining everything.” The they was clearly Death Eaters. "Feelings aren't idiotic," June said, her voice even and measured. This was a line she was used to using on younger years, as a prefect, so it came easily to her. "They aren't always rational, but if you feel them, that means they're not stupid, they're real and important." She realised how dumb she must sound, giving him a lecture designed for overly-analytical twelve year olds, and looked down, rubbing her brow. "I mean... you know what I mean, right?" Anthony looked up at her and patted her hand from across the table. “No I know what you mean, you’re right,” he agreed. “I just know that it’s the right thing to do, it’s just kind of awful.” He sighed, he hoped he that he hadn’t ruined the whole day, but well at least now he wouldn’t have to avoid any awkward questions from June if she came over again. “But soon we’ll be back at Hogwarts, but on the downside that means no more planetariums.” She briefly took his hand in hers and squeezed. She felt like physical contact was a little awkward, but she wanted to do something that would make him feel a little better. If they weren't in the middle of a public place she might have gone with a hug, which seemed more natural, but right here that would be even weirder. "There's no planetariums, but at least there's barely any light pollution?" June said hopefully. "You can hardly see anything in London, it's always so disappointing when we come home." She paused, withdrawing her hand and resting it in her lap. "Just think of your mum as being like, say, Pluto. You can't see it, but you know it's out there, doing just fine and same as always." “If I was going to pick a planet to be the mother planet, I wouldn’t have picked Pluto,” Anthony teased her lightly. He knew that Junie was just trying to make her feel better and he appreciated it more than he could or was willing to say, so instead he just smiled at her. He wasn’t sure what the new regime would mean for their term, but at least it couldn’t be worse than Umbridge. “It’s kind of small for a planet, especially the mother one.” "I picked Pluto because it's not visible from Earth with the naked eye, you dork," June said, affect brightening a little. "Would you rather I said that your mum was a black hole? Or Jupiter, that's as good as a 'your mama's so fat' joke." She wrinkled up her nose good-naturedly, brushing a fly-away piece of hair away from her face. “Did you just make a your momma joke?” Anthony asked with a real laugh. He hadn’t expected that coming from her but it amused him that she had said it. “Careful or I’ll tell your mum you’ve been watching too much telly.” It was a joke and he was glad that the conversation had gotten much much lighter now and the serious conversation about his mother had been put on the backburner. He didn’t exactly regret bringing it up but he didn’t also want to dwell on it too terribly much because nothing he could say could bring his mum back home. He didn’t know when he would see her again and he didn’t want to think about it. "You haven't given me an opportunity to use a 'that's what she said' joke, so I had to get a little desperate," she said. She giggled, and she knew she was blushing a little, because telling dirty jokes in mixed company wasn't something she usually did, but they weren't at school, so, whatever. Anthony started laughing harder and the businessmen next to them looked over and that just made him giggle more. “Now I’m going to try to set you up for a that’s what she said joke because I want to hear you tell one.” "What, you don't think I'd do it?" she said, a little affronted, but playfully so. The Look they were getting from the businessmen made her descend into more giggles, too. "Because I so would. The thing is, those ones have to be set up perfectly, though." “Because you’re so - I don’t know - June!” Anthony said, still laughing a little. He couldn’t imagine the younger girl actually saying it for when the time came, he would think that she would sooner break a rule than tell a dirty joke. He didn’t really mind them, he was after all a 17 year old boy, even if he was a bit of a nerd and a Prefect. He thought they were funny. June made herself look at him, so as to give the impression that she was feeling more confident than she really was. "Okay, fine. What's the square root of sixty-nine, then?" She was trying not to giggle more and ruin the punch line. Anthony started laughing uncontrollably. “I won’t tell you what it actually is and ruin the joke.” "Ate something," she managed to get out before descending into shrieks of laughter. She couldn't help but feel a little embarrassed, but she had two older brothers. It wasn't as though she was a stranger to dirty jokes. She'd even found Rex's stack of Playboys under his bed once. (She probably shouldn't have been looking there, in retrospect.) Anthony’s face turned bright red and he burst out into laughter. It wouldn’t have been nearly as funny if it hadn’t been Junie Chambers tell the joke but because it was her, it was hilarious. The businessmen were now glaring and Anthony tried to cover his laughter by putting his hand over his mouth but that didn’t stop the peals from coming out. “I cannot believe you told me that joke,” he finally told her, once he calmed down and was able to speak between laughs. "I know, in mixed company, too," June said drily. "I have two older brothers, Anthony. I'm not naive." She sobered a little when she saw that they were getting glares, and tried her best to act like a Responsible Young Lady, though that was hard to do when you were giggling over a joke about oral sex. "Maybe we should move on before that bloke over there shoots lasers out of his eyes at us." “I know you’re just - June okay,” Anthony said, trying to calm down so that they didn’t get kicked out. Oh well they should probably head to the planetarium anyway and stop telling and laughing about oral sex jokes in public. “I don’t mean that in a mean way, you’re just - anyway, let’s go.” He looked over at the businessmen who were still shooting them looks. “Sorry,” he managed to apologize. |