valesco ; a harry potter rpg

WHO: Vivienne, Nicola, Holden, Kera, & Jake
WHAT: Still at the restaurant
WHEN: Less than an hour since the boys' disappearance

( He’d said he’d be back. )

WHO BEXLEYS
WHAT HELLO? Look at us
WHERE Auror training pit arena thing!

( 'Did you get to the part where we’re caught necking in the loo?' )

Nicola was the start, the middle, and the end of the most wonderful part of Louis’ story. He saw a beautiful future for the two of them, a vast landscape of wonder, excitement, and love. Shining like the jewels around her neck and the glimmer in her eyes.

Perhaps it was candlelight, but Louis would swear it was the natural aura and magic of his wife.

Just thinking the word brought a smile to his face, and his grin widened as their dancing feet stepped into a the perfect moment for a twirl. Their guests let out a sound of appreciation and Louis pulled Nicola back into his arms, most definitely an improper hold for a waltz.

“I am ridiculously happy,” he said. His eyes were bright with love and the bubbly drink they’d toasted with. “Deliriously so.”

♥ ♥ HELLO?! ♥ ♥

To Madam Pomfrey, Jake Bexley was the perfect example of what a good patient should be. What a good student, a good child should be. The hospital wing matron was more than happy to recall Jake as the Gryffindor he once was, and honestly, it didn't feel too bad to fall back into those shoes. A sweet smile got him extra snacks, she gave him the fluffiest pillows and he even managed to get her to provide the same sort of comforts to Kera. It was a charm he'd thought he had lost years ago, and it helped make this past week go by just a little faster.

He was currently situated in a chair beside Kera's bed, a quick smile up at Pomfrey in thanks for giving the two of them some privacy. By the potions' measurements, Kera should be waking up from her magically induced sleep with the next few minutes. It had been for the best; Bonaccord had done a swift job at keeping the Dark Magic at bay, but they'd had no idea how long it had truly been seeping into her body. Her time under magical healing had to take that into account, and it was why the students of Hogwarts had gotten an extra week plunked onto their spring break; the halls of the school may had been contaminated too.

Maybe they'll proclaim an unofficial holiday after her.

A light rustling snapped his thoughts back to attention and Jake pressed his elbows to this thighs. His smile picked up as Kera's eyes blinked open.

"Yes, you're at Hogwarts."

WHO: THE BOYS
WHAT: EXPLOSIONS! WATER! CRYING!
WHERE: DEEP BELOW HONEYDUKES...

( I feel like that time we got locked out of Hogwarts during *that* rainstorm )

WHO: WHO?!
WHAT: DEALING WITH THINGS!
WHERE STILL HONEYDUKES

( It wasn’t silence, but the quiet that fell around them was daunting. )

WHO: Who do you think?
WHAT: Still stuck in Hogsmeade, still dealing with a lot of baggage
WHERE: Honeydukes, to be specific

( The storm’s shifting! )

Adian couldn’t say how long it took him to stand up again, but when he did, he retreated to the back of the shop. What had happened… was happening to Kera… how? Had she---? Had someone---? A long, distracted search of the little building provided no answers. Adian found no signs of a struggle, no forced entry, no magical residue - no one else was here but them. The only thing he found was Kera’s cloak buried under a layer of ice on the roof. But what good would that do now? How had she gotten sick? Why hadn’t they got infected?

They had to get out of here, didn’t they? Yes… before something worse happened.

He looked down at Kera’s cloak clutched in hands, a frown etched onto his face. He was stuck in the backroom, unable to return to the main area where he had left Louis, Jake, and Kera. Maybe it would be better if he stayed on this side of the wall, he wasn’t sure if he could… handle…

Adian dropped his shoulders and knocked his closed fist against his forehead. Spineless, he was spineless for---!

What was that? Adian spun, thrusting himself toward the doorway at the sound of rustling in the other room. Was that---? He froze when he saw Kera’s feet twitch where they lay over Jake’s legs, her inhaling a great breath. Was she---? He stayed on the opposite side of the doorway, unable to move any further.

WHO: The bros + Kera
WHAT: 2ish hours after this
WHERE: Honeydukes, Hogsmeade

( 'Insane middle of the spring blizzards too boring for you?' )

WHO: A motley crew
WHAT: There's a storm a brewin'
WHERE: Hogsmeade
WHEN: Now!

( Now it’s a fucking party. )

Beau tapped his fork against the side of his plate of spaghetti, chin resting in his free hand. Kera’s porch provided a nice early spring dinner (with probably a few heating spells tossed in there), and he had been working on the last bit of pasta for the past ten minutes. His thoughts were wandering, here and there, like they had been for months, and for the first time in a while he didn’t allow himself to think too much (or too little) about speaking up.

“She’s in the Amazon,” Beau blurted toward Kera, eyes still locked on his dinner. He felt his shoulders tighten at the thought of having to continue this conversation, but he was the one that had started it, yeah? That meant something. “Althea, she’s on some expedition in the middle of the Amazon.”

He wasn’t exactly sure how that made him feel, but it was something that was strong enough to talk to Kera about. Beau felt badly for keeping his friend on edge all these months, but he hadn’t felt the tug to open up about things; it actually had felt more like a lockdown.

“Ain’t that something?”

Mahoutokoro was the school she had been looking forward to the most, and it did not disappoint. Elegance and the importance of education was literally engraved within the walls of the palace and it was a beautiful sight to see in so many ways. The staff and students had been so welcoming, proud to display what they knew and what they were going to learn.

Tonight, a celebration was taking place at a shinto shrine on campus for the spirits of their founders. Vivienne often felt out of place when their team was given foreign garb, but the kimono (a gift! To take home!) was made of such beautifully intricate fabric that she had not been able to stop the need to preen in front of her room's mirror.

"I wish this trip was longer," Vivienne let out in a contemplative sigh. She looked to Kera with a thoughtful smile before turning back to the mingling crowd. This visit had been memorable for quite a few reasons outside of the remarkable school and pretty garb. It was wonderful getting to spend time with Kera, and though she was technically on assignment Vivienne tried to make it a treat. Doing so was easier with her, Auror Madley had always been a bit overwhelming...

"We had to cram a lot in a short amount of time because of upcoming exams and study sessions." A dreamy look came upon her face at the thought of the reading rooms they'd toured. "I could do with another week."

❧ ❦ ☙

( table arrangements )

Jake made to push the front door of the flat open, but it got caught, wedged against a tower of boxes. Heavy boxes, at that, and it took a little strain to slide them enough away for him to slip inside Kera's flat. He shut the door behind him and looked about, finding the living quarters unrecognizable in its half-empty, half-box-tower-filled state. Did this method of packing have some sort of rhyme or reason? It had to, yeah?

Maybe.

"Kera?" Jake called out.

He'd asked her to move into the house in Dorset a few weeks ago, only two, really, and it was a strange, but exciting time. He hoped the twisting in his chest was of excitement, of only excitement, but Jake knew his nerves were wrapped up in there too. Ollie had put pressure where there needed to be pressure, but it still didn't alleviate how big of a literal and metaphorical move this was for Kera and himself.

It was why he was being extra careful with it all, no deadline, no timelines like he put on himself. Things like this happened naturally, yeah? Jake, being careful even with his stepping about the boxes of the living room, put a hand to the back of his neck as he wondered how he could be of assistance.

"Are you here?"

“I told her,” Alex said, tugging on Joaquín’s sleeve to bring his father down to a crouch, “I told her that I had a feeling everything’s gonna be fine.”

Joaquín’s eyebrow quirked up. “A feeling with a capital ‘F’?”

“Yes.” Alex blinked rapidly, his tell-tale sign of being caught in a lie.

Letting out a breath, Joaquín put a hand to the back of his son’s head to pull him close, kissing his forehead. Alex, of course, did not know the whole story; all he knew was that Hestia’s brother had done some bad things, and that she was upset about it. Joaquín had thought, with how close the two were, that Hestia would appreciate Alex’s presence during this time and that his son would want to provide some comfort.

Telling her that he’d had a seer-like vision of the events turning out in her favor, however...he couldn’t blame the boy.

“Go help Mamá in the garden, okay?” Joaquín said. His mother was going to stay with Alex while everything with Hestia went on. His son let out a breath and nodded, heading toward the backyard, but not before making one last look up the stairwell. When he’d gone through the back doors, Joaquín walked forward and picked up bag of belongings he’d recommended Hestia bring with her.

Hopefully this wouldn’t go long, but…

“Hestia?” he called up the stairs. “I’m ready when you are.”

Kera couldn't stay still, so she paced.

That wasn't a good sign of her mental state, was it? She couldn't sit still long enough to relax, to breath, so she paced outside Jake's Mungo room. Kera knew she shouldn't, she knew the healers weren't wrong to insist she rest so they could get a full, proper look at her. But the thought of anyone else coming near her like that, touching her, made her skin crawl and her insides twist. So she paced slowly, mind racing and not making it more than five feet down the hallway before turning back to glance through Jake's door window.

She could settle when Pip and Sera came back to take control of things, she could settle when Jake woke up. Dragomirov was in custody, unconscious and barred from seeing anyone, the Minister was aware of Scrimgeour's and Crickerly's hindrances in how everything had played out, Joaquín was prepping Hestia, it--- Vivienne, she still hadn't been able to check in with Vivienne. Was she still in the hospital?

Just as Kera turned on her heel, she spotted the very person occupying her thoughts hovering around the hallway corner. Kera stopped, lifting her hand in vague greeting. Her head tilted toward her shoulder. Was she...? She waved Vivienne forward.

Vivienne looked alright, not too worse for wear--- Kera had cried when she saw herself in the mirror yesterday before cleaning herself up. At least, it was reassuring to know that after what Vivienne had seen, those remnants of herself were physically gone.

"How are you doing?" Kera asked, a thin smile pressing onto her lips when Vivienne approached.

The rain pelted her wand’s umbrella-spell and she couldn’t help but feel as if the end of the heat wave could also possibly be the end of the other madness her week had endured. Vivienne stood at the bottom of the Madley’s front porch steps, brow furrowed at the sight of the open front door.

Something’s not right.

She shared a dubious glance with Jake. What kind of former Auror and mother of two left the door open and unlocked? It didn’t seem right.

“Iris?” Jake called into the house, wand at his side. He put his other hand out to tell Vivienne to keep back. “It’s Auror Bexley, are you home?”

He stood straight, his head tilting back and forth as if weighing his options.

“I’m going in,” Jake said. He pointed his wand at his chest and his civilian clothing dissolved to reveal his Auror robes. “She might not have heard me with the rain, but...stay out here.”

“Not a problem,” Vivienne muttered, and flipped up the hood of her rain cloak before dropping her umbrella-spell to have her wand handy. Jake nodded before taking his first few, slow steps into the house.

He could be absolutely right, Vivienne thought as Jake disappeared from sight. The rain was pelting down and it was rare to have silencing charms strong enough to block out the weather; who didn’t like a good thunderstorm? Vivienne twisted her wand in her hand as she gazed about the yard, thinking it looked plenty kept, nothing out of the ordinary. On an ordinary, rainy day, where would a mother and her little ones be? Vivienne thought...well, her parents hadn't spent much lazy time (or time in general) with her, but she knew Miles and Mira were prone to lie-ins with the children when the weather (or the mood) called for it.

Vivienne stepped back and into the front yard to try and get a look at the windows of what she assumed would be the master bedroom of the house. The shades were open, which was a good sign, and she pressed up on her tiptoes to try and see more over the porch's overhang. She managed, just a glimpse, of some movement.

But it wasn't Iris, it wasn't Brad. It was someone she'd never seen before, stalking back and forth between the windows and he stopped----

( She dropped flat on her feet and rushed up the stairs, slipping past the front door. )

WHO: KERA RYAN AND A NOT-SO-FRIENDLY FOREIGNER
WHAT: YIKES
WHERE: SECRET YOU'LL SEE
WHEN: RIGHT NOW

( There was a loud crash, and once more, Kera toppled to the ground.  )