A flower-crowned prince and a peasant girl

[Lita Hollows R6]

Sometimes if you wanted something doing, you had to do it yourself. That was one of the very first things that women learned. Men, while pleasant to look at and useful in their own way, were flawed. The females in the world were supposed to make sure that everything was done correctly. Meredith Garwin, Lita had long ago decided, was a most pitiful excuse for a female. Oh, there was nothing wrong with Merry as a person. Lita didn’t mind her company at all. The Hufflepuff was sharp enough when she wanted to be, and she was reasonably smart. And Rister liked her. For that alone, Lita would tolerate Meredith. Because she was smart and quick-minded, Lita enjoyed Merry’s company at times. But Merry seemed entirely incapable of sorting things out. She had had plenty of chances but nothing had reached its conclusion. To be quite frank, Lita had started to tire of Merry’s indecision. At least Ashlyn was capable of pushing Damon away to maintain the boundaries that she needed, even if Damon was slowly trying to coax her into trusting him more. Merry couldn’t even decide what boundaries she wanted to set for Rister. So Lita would do what she did best; look after her best friend.

Everything had been easy enough to manipulate. Adrian did business with the husband of one of Charisse Garwin’s sisters and so Lita had snared Merry’s address with minimum effort. How very interesting it had been to learn that the matriarch of the family still kept an eagle eye on the grandchildren she had never acknowledged. If Merry succeeded in keeping Rister interested for longer than a few months then she would probably get herself an invitation to join the pureblooded ranks of her family because she had shown a flair for the ways of the Cartier family. That was something that Lita would be keeping to herself for a while. She didn’t want to know how the promise of money and status would change Merry’s view of Rister. After a short chat with Charisse Garwin, Lita considered that decision extremely well made. The older woman had adjusted to her station in life and she loved her family – the young ones, Pip and Rosa, had tackled their mother in a hug immediately upon returning to the house before the boy had fixed Lita with a glare that seemed both suspicious and admiring and Rosa had demanded to know whether she was a fairy servant for the Bee Prince, whatever that was. Slightly bemused but thoroughly entertained, Lita had listened to the story behind the Bee Prince and obligingly sent the young girl out to the garden to make a crown of flowers for Rister. The children seemed agreeable enough, but Charisse Garwin had that look that Lita recognised from her own brother. After Adrian had been disowned, he had worn that look for the first few days before pulling himself together and continuing with his own life. It was the look of one who had been born into riches and abruptly denied of what they were rightfully owed simply because of the family they belonged to. The difference between Adrian and Charisse was that Adrian had never felt comfortable with his family, with the exception of Lita, whereas Charisse had probably never even considered falling in love with a muggle until it had happened. Adrian’s disowning hadn’t been a shock to anyone; Charisse’s almost certainly had and Lita would bet her own inheritance that the woman, perhaps subconsciously, wanted her old life back and might well use her own daughter to do it. Of course, that might just be an unfounded suspicion. Lita wasn’t known to trust easily.

With research done, hypotheses formed and a secondary plan that was designed to counter anything and everything that could go wrong, Lita suppressed the urge to roll her eyes at the name of the café Merry worked in and dragged Rister through the door impatiently. “I’m hungry. It’s hard work carrying all my new books through Diagon Alley.” Grinning to herself, Lita pushed Rister into a seat and walked away without paying any attention to the inevitable complaint that he had been carrying her shopping bags and that she most certainly hadn’t bought just books. Grabbing Merry by the shoulder without care for her shocked gasp, Lita coolly divested Merry of her apron, marched her across the café and gently forced the Hufflepuff into the seat opposite Rister. “You two,” Lita told Merry and Rister firmly, “are going to stop tiptoeing around the issue and talk to each other.” Merry opened her mouth, probably to point out that she was still working, but Lita’s unamused glare quelled her protests. “Talk. Stop avoiding the problem. You,” Lita pointed at Merry disapprovingly for a second, “tell Rister just how much you don’t care about that thing of which you shouldn’t know. But do it discreetly. We’re in a public place. Tell him in depth and with feeling or I’ll tell him just what you were buying from the apothecary,” Lita threatened seriously, satisfied with the way Merry swallowed nervously at the mention of the potions she had been bordering on addiction to. Stupid girl. People who didn’t understand the risks of potions just shouldn’t be allowed to buy them. After a moment, Lita’s gaze landed firmly on Rister. “You, don’t mess this up just to spite me. I have little patience left for you and Merry. Admit your attraction and ask her out already, because I’m handing everything over to Gabriel if you both continue to act like idiots after this and he won’t be anywhere near as subtle as I am. He’s the one who directed you to the bathroom when Rister was showering,” Lita added for Merry’s benefit, walking away and slipping the apron over her own head before Merry’s blush deepened at the reminder. Hmm. She had never waitressed before. This could be fun. As an afterthought, Lita spun back and dropped the crown of flowers on Rister’s head carefully. “From Rosalind.”

[Rister Graas S6]

Rister somewhat liked Diagon Alley. Of course, if lacked the flare of its equivalent in Paris and the black and white and green marbled history of Rome’s and Venice’s magical streets, but Diagon was a quaint mixture of noises and tiny little stores tucked in corners that appealed to him. So when Lita had whirled into the Slytherin dormitory to pounce onto his bed with no regard to the rest of the waking boys and demanded that he escort her to a shopping tour in Diagon, Rister hadn’t put up much of a fight. Especially as she had wisely came carrying breakfast. He had had business to settle in Gringotts anyway. And as an additional perk they had settled into a familiar rhythm while walking around stores anyway. Whenever one saw a store that caught their eye they could turn into it and the other would follow. Admittedly, Lita turned into different shops far more frequently that Rister, but then again Rister had barely any need to buy anything. All his clothes were tailored, for any book he could ask Aunt Dana, he didn’t tend to have patience for random junk and he didn’t wear any jewellery beyond his heir’s signet. So that really left him with nothing he needed to buy. But he patiently walked next to Lita, carried her bags for her due to mannerisms ingrained in his skull – not that it was a hard task after a simple charm placed on the bags – and bantered with her. No, it wasn’t a way he minded spending his morning. Not what he’d wanted to daily, but he could handle the occasional shopping trips.

The first inkling of suspicion in him rose upon spying the café Merry worked in and the suspicion grew to simple irritation as Lita dragged him through the door. He was far too cynical to believe it a coincidence but he wasn’t going to protest. It would cause an unnecessary scandal, give Lita far more leeway in this matter than Rister would like and to someone suspicious might betray something about Rister and someone in the café. Though the last was unlikely, Rister wasn’t going to take a chance as he didn’t want the wizarding oath between Merry and him to become public knowledge. So he erased the flash of irritation on his face before Lita had time to glimpse it and allowed her to saunter to a table under the window. Simply making a non-committal noise at the back of his throat as she shoved at him lightly, Rister gently placed the numerous bags on a free chair and took a seat. By then Lita was back, however, and shoving Meredith in a chair opposite her. Rister was annoyed and irritated, but his face was carefully schooled into an impassive mask. Lita would know the mask and could probably understand the motivation behind it too, but that didn’t move Rister. She had pushed Meredith to him once already and he had taken it in a relatively good humour. He had done the same to Lita and Gaenor so she even had a right to do it. But doing it for the second time here and now was toeing the line.

It seemed like a calculated plan. Lita had divested Meredith of her apron easily enough to make Rister – who knew his friend – suspect she had talked to the manager or owner of the café about it earlier on. Luckily she turned towards Meredith first, leaving Rister to sort through his thoughts and options without her full scrutiny on him. She could have gleamed much of his thought process, but once he had reached a decision he could hide it from her. Especially as Lita’s glares did nothing to quell Rister. For now he would need to decide on the wisest course of action. He could stand up and leave and cause a scene. He could enter into an argument with Lita. Or he could remind her that he wasn’t a haughty, proud and arrogant pureblood because of the heir’s ring resting on his finger, but because he had been bred and raised to be such. She could make him sit through lunch here but she could really do nothing to make him act as anything more than polite but coldly detached host. Especially not so as she would evidently have to take over waitressing duties as well. “I am aware of miss Garwin’s penchant for sleeping potions,” Rister murmured softly, easily nullifying Lita’s threat, his mind now made up. The smile he sent to his best friend as she glanced at him was perfectly politely but chilling to the bone. This wasn’t the loose and relaxed Rister who laughed and smiled and flirted and teased. This was the gracious pureblood host of a formal dinner for the strictest rule-stickler purists and a host to whom there would be nothing to put blame on for.

“I am a much cherished son of a protective mother as well,” Rister informed the two girls with the safe tone of voice, “And while not our residential country, the name Mrs. Graas holds more power than miss Hollows still.” Rister knew far more about Meredith Garwin herself and her family – including her pureblooded grandparents – than either of the girls knew or could guess. But he’d leave htem wondering just how far his knowledge went. No one but Dad and Mom and him would know that for sure and while Lita was considered practically family, she would never dare to ask something like that from either Kris or Cleo. Even so he listened patiently to Lita’s short lecture to him, albeit a recollection of Morgana’s tear-streaked face as she hopelessly sobbed in his arm. The sound of the rejected “why?” that had echoed in the empty room and the pain in his heart as he didn’t have the answer. “How do you answer to the ‘why’ of a child crying over something she had no choice in or any control over?” Rister mused softly, Morgana’s pain still echoing clearly in his mind and heart. And he would put his family before himself, Rister realised suddenly. Morgana’s hurt mattered more to him than his own possible hurt, so he would not go after Meredith.

“You should have left it to Gabriel,” Rister stated softly recalling Gabriel’s face twisted into a ferocious snarl, as he had walked in on Morgana sobbing her pain out on Rister’s shoulders, “He would have been wise enough not to prod me. But as it pleases you.” The four little words telling Lita that he wasn’t mad at her. No, he was gone well beyond mad and as Rister nailed the gaze of his mother’s brilliant green eyes on Lita, she allowed her to read out all the fury raging under his cool exterior. Four little words that had been a polite pureblood admonish for centuries. It was the phrase Dad had used when at a formal Ministry party someone who made a crude joke about werewolves. And the man making the joke had been shunned by the entire society until he made a very humble and very public apology that Dad didn’t really accept, but that was beyond the point already. It was a phrase cold and firm and heavy enough to make an aged gentleman from a near-by table to turn around and stare at him long and hard while Lita stood stock-still. Lowering his eye-lids half-way to mask his… displeasure… Rister waited until the gentleman had turned back to his old meal, before he continued on a decidedly carefree and light tone as if discussing the weather as he turned his attention to his unwanted lunch-companion. “Don’t bother. Lita obviously has this rather well planned out so you wouldn’t get far. You can survive a lunch,” he offered politely, calmly removing the flower garland from his head and placing it on the table next to his left hand. Returning his eyes to Lita, Rister arched a single eye-brow: “My menu, if you would?”

[Lita Hollows R6]

Oh yes, she was in trouble. A shiver danced down her spine as she registered Rister’s coldly polite smile. This wasn’t just Rister anymore. His smile spoke of nothing but the perfect pureblood heir who had been drilled into the old ways of the purebloods and knew how to handle everything that could go wrong with a gracious calm. Lita couldn’t counter that, and they both knew it. She was just the second child, and a girl at that. After Adrian had been disowned, the position of heir had passed right over her and gone to one of her cousins. A male cousin, of course. Lita’s father was a purist. Females were good for nothing but marrying off to secure an alliance. Girls were like household ornaments, in a way; she had to be pretty to look at and entertaining enough to keep attention for a few moments but she was never going to be useful except as something to sell. “You knew about the sleeping potions?” Lita hissed in outrage, thoroughly distracted from the ponderings of pureblood politics. “You’re not an idiot; you know how easy it is to get addicted. How did her rehabilitation fall to me? I barely know her. It wasn’t my responsibility.”

“The Graas name will forever hold more power and respect than the Hollows name,” Lita acknowledged the fact without malice or worry. She might be part of the Hollows family, but she had never been involved in their businesses. She was just a girl, and what good was a girl? So Lita had turned to her own interests and she had her own source of income, which was doing amazingly well for its first year. “If you’re going to bring power-plays into this, should I start referring to you as the honoured heir of the Graas line? Are you going to put on your ring?” Lita questioned boredly, one eyebrow arching without much interest or concern. “How do you hold the folly of an uninformed girl against her?” Lita countered reflexively, eyes flicking to Merry pointedly. “Has she not apologised for that already? Would you have her serve out a life sentence for her ignorance, Rister? All three of us know what she did. And it is not easily forgivable. She still has amends to make, and plenty of them. But she’s trying. That must count for something. You’re not heartless; you won’t watch her learn to hate herself because of a mistake that she didn’t even know she was making.”

There was a little bit of her heart and dignity that shattered into irreparable pieces at those four words. ‘As it pleases you.’ Rister had pinned her with a glare from fierce green eyes and spoken those words. To her. His best friend, his sister in all but blood and name, his most unwavering supporter. Outwardly, not a flicker of turmoil showed except for the slight lowering of her eyelids to shield her eyes. Known only to herself, her heart beat in an irregular rhythm with the instinctive, terrible fear of rejection and hatred that her family had bred into her. It was all too tempting to disregard her dignity, slide to her knees and beg for forgiveness. That was the Hollow way. Her father ruled with an iron fist, and Lita wasn’t favoured enough to have not been punished severely for any misdoings. In that moment, she felt more fear of Rister than she had ever felt for his father and her breathing grew ragged for the few moments before she managed to reassert her tight control over herself. Irrational, childish terror wouldn’t help her. She needed logic; calm, cool logic without the heated whirl of bitter fear that made her want to retch and cry and flee. Her pale hand trembled slightly with the residual panic and her throat felt scratchily dry but Lita reached out and steadied herself on Rister’s shoulder as she leaned over to kiss his forehead lightly. “It pleases me, brother. It pleases me because she pleases you.” Head held high, because Lita had her pride even when she had nothing else to cling on to, she tossed two menus onto the table with a casual flick of her wrist.”I’ll send another waitress over for your order, to save you having to suffer my temporary company,” Lita told Rister in politely cool, measured tones. With a flicker of a smile for Merry, who looked so confused at the sudden tension, Lita turned her back to Rister and retreated to the company of a small group of idle waitresses.

[Merry Garwin H6]

Merry had blinked, utterly bemused to see Lita in the café where she worked, but followed the Ravenclaw willingly enough when she started to steer her in a certain direction. Her boss wasn’t in today – was he ever? – and the other waitresses liked her well enough so Merry wasn’t really worried about taking a few minutes away from her shift. She worked enough overtime anyway. It wouldn’t be a big problem. When she found herself pushed into a seat opposite Rister, however, Merry had started to panic just a little bit. She wasn’t ready to see Rister again. She needed to think, to get her thoughts in order. Merry had thought that she would be given that time. No one from the Graas posse – which consisted of the Graas siblings, Lita and a blonde girl that had appeared recently – had seemed interested in her existence except Rister. Then, of course, Lita. Merry had resigned herself to the knowledge that Lita would be looking out for Rister at all times. The idea that Lita would also be looking out for Merry had taken a bit longer to get used to, but it seemed to be true. Thanks to the Ravenclaw, Merry was actually passing Potions and she wasn’t teetering on the thin edge of addiction to sleeping potions. Merlin, that had been agonizing. The withdrawal had felt like it was killing her; fire had seemed to flow through her veins and Merry had hated Lita for putting her through that but she had been there to soothe Merry when she cried out for her potions. Nothing had been said of her absence from classes, which Merry presumed was also due to Lita. So, for the Ravenclaw, Merry would sit through yet more pain as Rister unleashed his hatred for her.

The last time she had seen Rister, they had been in the kitchens and he had coolly asked her whether there was anything else she needed him to clarify for her. Perhaps a million things had raced through her mind, vying for attention and ranging from relevant to idly wondering and idiotic questions that weren’t related to the subject at all. She had shaken her head mutely, forced out another apology and a request for time to think through dry lips and fled the kitchens without allowing herself to glance back. It hadn’t been like an argument with one of her older brothers; it had been far beyond her fragile control over herself when she had been surviving on false sleep so Merry had ran away without much beyond a hushed apology. “Y-you know. How?” Merry whispered in horror, feeling the heat rise to her cheeks in humiliated shame as she bowed her head. Lita had assured her that no one else would ever find out about her problem but a quick, betrayed glance up at the still standing girl informed her that Lita hadn’t been the one to tell Rister. Heat prickled at the back of her eyes as mortified tears formed and tried to escape. Instead of the conversation between Rister and Lita, Merry heard a replay of every lecture Lita had ever shouted at her about the doubtless stupidity of someone who was foolish enough to get addicted to potions. She had been too busy screeching her own demands for her potion to take any notice of the lectures but her mind had stored them all away to torture her late at night, when Merry lay awake after a nightmarish memory of the time fighting her addiction.

The tension forming between the two didn’t go unnoticed by Merry and she shrunk back in her seat unsurely, desperately trying not to draw attention to herself. She didn’t want to be involved, though neither Rister nor Lita seemed to care as they brought her into the conversation as the topic of their argument. It would be unwise and horribly undignified to try to slide under the table and crawl away until she was back in the safety of the kitchen, but that didn’t mean that Merry wasn’t tempted to try it anyway. Emily, one of the other waitresses, was glancing in the direction of their table doubtfully, obviously wondering whether she should intervene and save Merry from what looked to be an uncomfortable situation. After a few minutes of indecision, her natural timidity seemed to win out as she just shot Merry a miserably apologetic smile, glanced at Rister and Lita with a small amount of fear and disappeared into the kitchen with an order from one of the tables she had been assigned to for the day. “I’ve already apologised for that, and tried to explain,” Merry spoke up hesitantly when Lita fell silent, shoulders hunched protectively as she met Rister’s eyes for less than a second. “It’s not enough, it’ll probably never be enough, but I don’t know how much more I can do without causing more harm.”

It scared Merry slightly to see Lita’s hands tense and her face smooth out with utter blankness. She hadn’t known Lita for long and she didn’t know her very well, but the Ravenclaw had always been vibrant and filled with liveliness no matter what the subject was. Whether she was teaching Potions to Merry, lecturing her about her stupidity or glowering at her wordlessly, the air around Lita had practically vibrated with the contained emotion and energy pouring off her. “I, uh,” Merry moistened her painfully dry mouth after stumbling over her words then tried again hesitantly, eyes trained firmly on the table after watching Lita walk away. “I’m guessing that something just went wrong.” For a fraction of a second, accusing brown eyes glanced at Rister and then shot back down to the newly cleaned table sheepishly. It wasn’t any of her business, but the nurturing side of Merry that had looked after two younger siblings for most of her life wanted nothing more than to comfort Lita and gently scold the culprit, Rister. “After seeing how you just treated a girl who considers you her brother, I’m starting to wonder if I will survive through a lunch with you, Rister. Don’t worry about paying though. I get three free meals a month for myself and one other person. It’s hardly reasonable for you to pay for a meal that I’m sure you won’t enjoy sitting through. Feel free to make your grand escape while Lita is otherwise occupied though,” Merry invited neutrally, tipping her head in the direction of Lita and the other waitresses, who were excitedly questioning the new addition to their ranks. Merry owed Lita a debt and her loyalty for the release from her forming addiction. Other than her silence about Morgana, she owed Rister and the rest of the Graas family nothing. She might like Rister, and be attracted to him, but Merry wasn’t sure if she wanted to like someone who treated his friends in the manner that Rister just had. If that was the world of the rich purebloods then Merry wanted nothing to do with it at all.

[Rister Graas S6]

Things were a bloody mess, Rister summarised for himself tiredly. “Yes, it was mentioned in the report mom had ordered,” he responded to the questions of both girls, idly noting the difference of its presentation. The familiar hiss of Lita who had absolutely no fear of him and the trembling faintness of Merry who probably dreaded him more than anything else in the world. His eyes held Merry’s brown as he responded Lita’s following demand. “The rehabilitation – which was your choice not obligation - fell onto you because Dad ordered my siblings and I to stay away. Considering her reaction to the mere fact I knew of it already shows she wouldn’t have wanted us there anyway,” Rister murmured, only now understanding the train of thought that might have led Dad to this decision. “And I think you know her better than any of us.” His eyes flickered to Lita’s but Rister let the comments about power-lines pass without comment. Neither Lita or him would need words on the topic and Merry wouldn’t understand most without some background information.

“Uninformed is one thing. Lac of common sense another,” he simply stated, turning his attention back to Merry, scrutinizing her with utmost thoroughness, “I can understand needing time. I even sympathise with the decision to not force herself on anyone. I do not accept word-level apologies.” Merry opened her mouth to argue, but snapped it closed as Rister narrowed his eyes at her. “My sister didn’t cry the morning after you two met in the forest. She didn’t even cry that week. She didn’t yet cry the following week. Three – three – weeks had passed. It took three weeks during which you avoided us all, avoided looking at her like the plague, nearly twisted your ankle trying to step back from the doorway when you two happened to meet when she came to serve detention with McGonagall as your class ended, before she cried on my shoulder. And I had nothing to tell her.” Things were tense between Lita and him for the moment but even so he was grateful for the soft stroke of Lita’s fingers on his hair, Lita perhaps unconsciously stroking his hair in a gesture he had always liked and appreciated. “You say you are sorry, but what does it matter if you can’t even look at her and understand that none of it is her fault? Yes, I could accept an apology in Morgana’s name, but I’m not the one who needs to hear it.” Morgana had been the target of her unknowing prejudice, so Merry’s apologies should have also gone to her. “You say you’re sorry, but we’ve ached as well and we’ve ached for Morgana. My sisters are both good actress if the situation calls for it. But perhaps you will believe Lita then, as she can assure you Morgana has not been able to give a sincere smile in weeks.” Rister shook his head tiredly, the weaeriness of the situation suffocating most of his helpless fury. “You say you’re sorry, yet you avoid the person you hurt as if your life depended on it, so I don’t think I believe you.”

Rister’s curled wryly as he glanced at Lita: “Trying? It would have been so easy. But I don’t think I’d like to trust her near my sister again. And right now Morgana matters more than her. Morgana matters more than anything I might have ever felt.” The only one who could ever bring Meredith back into the Graas family circle was Morgana. The only one who could reassure Rister to not forcefully suffocate the attraction he had felt for Meredith was Morgana. “I would be heartless if I would listen to the attraction I had for her, considering the way things are. But I will not go after anyone who loathes my little sister. She matters more, yet the only ones you offer your apologies to are Lita and me, so how could it matter?” Rister closed his eyes tiredly as Lita pressed a kiss on his forehead, knowing he had hurt her. It had been a protective instinct and to an extent Lita had deserved it. But he had hurt her. “If you’ll excuse me for a moment,” he offered to Meredith before rising and catching up to Lita. He offered a bland half-smile and a request for a few words with his friend to the waitresses who smiled at him and politely retreated. His left hand still grasping Lita’s wrist, around which he had wound his fingers to prevent her from fleeing with the other waitresses, Rister wrapped his right arm around Lita’s shoulders, his palm cradling the back so her neck as he pulled her close to him. Her face hidden against his chest, Rister bent his head to whisper into her ear, knowing the word Lita would need to hear to know everything would be alright in the end: “She pleased me, sister, and I was attracted. But I could not pursue a girl who hurts my other sister with her purposeful avoidance of her. Morgana matters more than that.” Lita’s muffled a hiccup, a sound half-way between tears and laughter into his chest, even as Rister felt a tear moistening his shirt. Apparently a tear she hadn’t allowed out before had slipped out now. So Rister stayed still, using his body as a shield until she would recover. Lita would not enjoy having strangers in the café witness her tears. Instead, he kept his head lowered and his voice quiet as he kept murmuring. “And I’m certain you didn’t want to serve our table only because you know I would tease you mercilessly over it for the rest of your life. Not that I’d mind it of course. And because you want to torture me even further, because I’m rather sure that blonde just glanced at my behind and gave Merry a thumbs-up gesture behind my back. Now I am rather attached to my bottom side myself too, but…” The sound coming from Lita this time was most certainly one of laughter, so Rister withdrew half a step and cupping her chin in his palm peered into his best friend’s face. There was a hint of tears still glistening in her eyes, but she was beaming a wide smile up at her as well, kind of like a rainbow appearing admist rain and sun. “I still am furious at you, but you are my best friend and sister, so you know I’d be there if you ever need me and I will not be mad at you forever. But for now I have a lunch to get through and I’m putting the blame wholly on you,” he told Lita softly and as the girl nodded with a light smile, brushed a kiss over her cheek. "And she doesn't have my upbringing to fall back on," Rister muttered into her ear again, the muscles around his eyes wincing sligthyl even as he siad the words aloud. It would be easier for Meredith to have Lita floating around in the background and for some reason it felt right for him to say the words that would force Lita to be there. Even so it somewhat pained him at the same time to still feel protective, but it was part of who he was he supposed. “Now get to work,” he told Lita a bit louder, as he turned to return to the table he was to share with Meredith for the next hour at the very least.

Sitting down again, Rister observed Meredith quietly for a moment. “Something just went wrong. Never repeat those words to a pureblood without full acknowledgement of what they mean and what the result of them will be,” he advised her politely, picking up one of the menus and flipping it open, “Anything special you’d suggest?” “I assure you everything on our menu is good,” Lita’s voice answered before Merry and Rister glanced up at her. Giving him a light smirk and a tilt of his head, he acknowledged her decision to live up to the situation and serve their table. Apparently she had figured some teasing would be worth it in the end. As if agreeing with that statement, Lita gave a quick salute to the both of them, before nearing her pen to a small notebook she had acquired from somewhere: “Are you ready to order?” Leaning back, Rister made a lazy arching gesture for Meredith to go first. Lita turned to Meredith and Rister listened in calmly as the two girls managed to get one order down, before Lita turned towards him again. “I’ll take crisped bread with salad for an appetiser. Turkey special wide a side of fresh salad for the main course, keep the onion. And I’ll take the peppermint-chocolate fondue for dessert. Water next to all of it, not sparkling and with plenty of ice.” “Coming right up,” Lita assured them with a smile as she finished scribble something down and turned to hurry away, leaving Rister and Merry alone again. They sat quietly until their drinks were brought to table before they were left alone again. “If you wish to get rid of your free meal by this, feel welcomed to. I believe my galleons will be accepted in charities as well if you’d prefer that. Or some waitress will be happy over a considerable tip. Mom had the silly notion of growing us into gentlemen as well.”

Taking a sip of water Rister observed Merry, who didn’t seem inclined to look at him. “I do not appreciate being put in this situation but I’m not a fun of running. Lita and I can sort our problems out later on. So how about a cards open game?” Rister proposed lazily, laying his wrists on the table, “When we first met – yes, I was attracted. Very much so and I admit that freely. Enough for rumours of it to reach my parents, as they do not look into any girl my brothers or I talk to or kiss. Nor do just any parent seek me out, even though I rather enjoyed the chat I had with your mother. But then you learned who I am and fled and I had duties to attend back home so things were quiet. When Hogwarts started again you kept away so I left out be mainly until I stumbled down a hill-side and you learned something you shouldn’t have.” Rister smirked as Merry nervously took a sip from her own glass. “And we all know what happened then.” Rister tilted his head and made a pause. He had already just as much as told Meredith that her apology should have gone to the one she hurt most – Morgana – so there was no point in repeating himself. “Am I still attracted? I suppose so. Attraction doesn’t die that fast and you’re a pretty girl. Bright to an extent as well,” not including her potions-love and avoidance or Morgana he added mentally, “But I will not follow an attraction towards someone who can’t stand my little sister. Honest enough summary for you?” Rister’s smile was utterly polite as Lita approached again with their appetisers, placing them carefully before them and wishing them ‘bon appetite’ before disappearing again. Picking up a fork, Rister lifted a bite to his mouth, before nodding slightly in approval. It tasted good. “What do you think of the restoration of the Gringotts? I’ve heard very contradicting opinions about it.”

[Lita Hollows R6]

Kris had ordered it. Not in the same way that her own father would – Lita couldn’t ever imagine Kris openly threatening his children with pain if they disobeyed him over this – but an order nonetheless. Lita had gone against her father’s orders many times, and suffered the consequences of it with gritted teeth and her teeth firmly biting into her tongue so that not a sound escaped, but she couldn’t see herself disobeying Kris or Cleo. Not because she feared them, but because she respected them. “It was my obligation as someone who knew how dangerous potions can be if used incorrectly. I don’t have many morals, Rister, but not even I can watch someone grow dangerously addicted without even realising it. And she clearly didn’t realise what she was doing to herself.” It seemed to be a common trend with Merry, Lita thought wearily. The Hufflepuff never thought things through thoroughly. If Lita didn’t end up strangling her out of frustration, that would be yet another thing to teach her. The list seemed never-ending and it wasn’t a fun task. It would be worth it if she could educate Merry in even the smallest things though. Something like developing even a small shred of common sense. “She’s absolutely mortified, that I will admit,” Lita agreed without sparing a glance for the girl in question. “I told her that I wouldn’t tell anyone, and I’m sure you’ve noticed how naive she can be; she took that to mean that no one else would ever find out. I’m both amused and flattered that she thought I had so much power.” The corner of Lita’s mouth quirked upwards into a small grin as Merry’s face flushed red in humiliation. The poor girl had so much to learn but Lita wouldn’t bother teaching Merry if it wouldn’t eventually end up benefiting her or her friends; Lita wasn’t a generous soul who gave her time and energy simply for the sake of it nor was Merry one of the young Ravenclaws that Lita took under her wing for the first few months and then tutored when they needed it.

“Of course I know her better than any of you. I probably now know more about her darkest sides than her own family.” Lita lifted one shoulder in a careless shrug, her eyes darkening as she remembered the pain of the rehabilitation that she had forced Merry through. It hadn’t been pleasant. There hadn’t been time to soften the withdrawals with small drops of potion and kind words of soothing advice so Lita had been ruthless as she distanced herself from the situation and watched Merry scream and suffer. It hadn’t been easy to watch, but it had been easier than watching Morgana transform on the nights of the full moon. Merry had done that to herself and she had to accept the consequences of her foolishness; Morgana had done nothing to deserve her pain, and her pain was so much more agonising than anything Merry had experienced. For that reason, and because Lita loved Morgana as a sister, she stayed silent and offered no support to Merry as Rister let out some of his anger and helplessness. It wouldn’t help much but it had to be done. Merry had to understand what she had done before any amends could even start to be made. “Morgana has suffered far too much. She’s just a young girl still. Think of your own little sister,” Lita entreated Merry softly. “Think of Rosalind. Wouldn’t you do anything for her? When she suffers, when she cries and hates herself for something she can’t help because of someone else’s foolishness and avoidance, wouldn’t you try to fix it in whatever way possible? Try to understand, Meredith. There’s only so much I can do for you, you have to do some of the work yourself.”

“I never understood why she mattered in the first place,” Lita informed her best friend quietly, paying no attention to Merry for the moment. Tact had never been Lita’s strongest point unless it really mattered. She could manage the subtleties of the pureblood world with little effort but she had always preferred to speak plainly when it was just her and Rister. “What was so special about her?” That was one thing that she had never understood. When Lita studied Merry even with intense scrutiny, she only saw an ordinary Hufflepuff with a pretty smile and a few friends. She wasn’t extraordinarily beautiful or amazingly intelligent or witty or talented. She didn’t even have Ashlyn’s old fashioned intellect and sharp tongue. Meredith Garwin was just another poor half-blood albeit one with rich pureblood roots. Perhaps Rister just had a fondness for brown-haired strays.

Almost instantly, the waitresses crowded around her with prodding questions and excitement. Apparently it wasn’t usual for one of the working waitresses to be kidnapped for lunch and replaced by an inexperienced customer. The only one who regarded Lita warily was the same girl who had looked so tempted to rescue Merry from Lita and Rister. Reluctant but hurt enough to need the reassurance, Lita buried her face in Rister’s chest and relaxed into the comfort and safety she found there. With red-rimmed eyes and a smile, Lita glanced up at her best friend and shook her head. “Did you honestly think I was doing this just for you? Rister, you’ve felt attracted to many girls in the past and I haven’t interfered except to scold you. Meredith isn’t special enough to make me intercede on her behalf just so that she could date you. But she knows things that she shouldn’t and she’s hurting people because of it. You should know by now that I won’t let that carry on. It’s annoying, but you’re the only one of your family that Merry felt even the smallest bit comfortable with. Damon outright terrifies her, Jared and Gabriel intimidate her, she’s terrified of hurting Morgana further and she doesn’t really know Leandra.” Lita sighed, rubbing a hand over her face in an unconscious show of tired weakness. “I’ve spent so long trying to get her to trust me, Rister. Not because Merry is special in any way but because she’s hurting Morgana and she needs to trust us before she can get the courage to apologise. She’s convinced herself that you’re all going to pounce on her and tear her to pieces. You and your siblings are like the boggart hiding under her bed and I was the only one who could try to fix it, because Ashlyn was the only other option and I thought she might lose patience and try to beat Merry with her violin case. She’s so close to trusting me enough to trust you; please don’t mess that up, for Morgana’s sake.”

Lita stepped back slightly, tipping her head to fix Rister with a rueful smirk. “Did you think I was spending so much time with Merry because her company was preferable to yours? She’s not a bad person, but she’s not a friend. I’ll help her out because she needs it and because I need her trust me enough to apologise, sincerely, to Morgana without being terrified of you or Gabriel or Jared or Damon. Then I might teach her what she needs to know simply because I’ve learnt to enjoy her company. But your family comes first. Always.” For a moment, Lita lingered, watching Rister and Merry thoughtfully before turning away to find out precisely what her duties as a waitress entailed.

[Merry Garwin H6]

“I didn’t want anyone there, not even Lita,” Merry corrected Rister timidly, shuddering at the rush of memories. She still had that craving for potions sometimes and the knowledge that she couldn’t have one was a near physical pain in its intensity. Her mind demanded her addiction and there were times when Merry was nearly desperate enough to give in and raid Pomfrey’s potion cabinet. There was always a lucid part of her that remembered Lita’s harsh threat. If Merry had one sleeping potion, even if she had just a small sip, then Lita would drag her to the Headmistress and tell her about Merry’s addiction. It would be so easy for the press to hear about it then, Lita had warned Merry silkily, and wouldn’t Pip and Rosa be devastated to learn of their sister’s weakness and idiocy? It had been a callous attack on Merry’s pride and her humiliation for being so stupid but it had worked, which had undoubtedly been the whole point. Lita wasn’t lying when she said that she knew Merry better than anyone else. She knew about the bad from firsthand experience and had coaxed stories of the good times from Merry when the cravings had first started to emerge and she had been nearly mindless in her longing for a vial of potion.

“I made it clear when I took the Oath,” Merry started to speak after an expectant glance from Lita. She had learnt to trust the Ravenclaw without any questioning, which was probably due to the naïveté that Lita accused her of having. But Lita hadn’t guided her in the wrong direction yet so Merry still had faith in her. She wasn’t particularly excited about being forced into a conversation with Rister, but she would trust that Lita knew what she was doing. She had to. “I told you that I wouldn’t accept charity. That includes being accepted into your little group just because of knowledge I accidentally gained. I didn’t avoid any of you because of what I knew. I wasn’t raised in this world. I don’t share the prejudices that purebloods are brought up to learn. Before Hogwarts, the only supernatural knowledge I had was from fairytales. And I always hated Red Riding Hood.” From the way Lita’s smile flashed in quick amusement, Merry would guess that the other girl had caught the reference and understood Merry’s point. She hadn’t expected any less. “I avoided all of you because I thought that it was the best thing to do. I would keep your secret, yes, but I would do it because I wanted to and because it was the right thing to do. I wanted to make it clear that I didn’t want anything that you would offer me just because of what I knew. Including friendship simply out of obligation. According to Lita, my attempts were clumsy and incompetent. I find myself starting to agree with her, but I thought I was doing things for the best.”

Merry’s flicked over Rister with deliberate haste as he returned to the table, studying him methodically for reasons she couldn’t understand. He seemed so far removed from the kind, charming boy who had stacked chairs for her and whisked her away to the park for a time of relaxation and fun. It hadn’t been his name that had scared her away but the recognition that came with that name. Merry had comforted one of her own closest friends after she had broken up with Rister. Melanie had spat out so many horrible things about Rister that just didn’t match up to the boy that Merry had met in the café. She wanted to believe that Rister was the same nice guy that Mordred had been; she truly did. But she knew Melanie better than Rister and the trust there was stronger. She had cursed the name venomously with her crying friend; she didn’t want to have to curse it for her own hurt. Merry didn’t even have to glance at the menu when Lita arrived and derailed her train of thought. Lita’s furious attempts to scribble down the entire order made her laugh and, with a kind smile, Merry tugged the notebook out Lita’s grasp and made a quick note of the abbreviations for every meal and drink that the café offered. “Keep that piece of paper until I get back to work,” Merry advised wisely, “and keep to tables with older people on them if you can. The younger ones tend to be more impatient and demanding.” It was rare to find someone who would stay in a closed café to stack chairs in exchange for a sandwich that had already been paid for, Merry thought with a sad smile, unable to stop a quick, involuntary glance at Rister.

“Honesty. Fine. It’s probably far past time for it.” Merry stayed completely silent throughout the entirety of Rister’s summary of events, hands circling her glass of juice tightly enough to turn her knuckles white with the pressure. “Shut up about Gringotts,” Merry snapped with unusual boldness and curtness. “You’ve had your time to be honest. Now it’s my turn.” Her boldness fled just as quickly as it had appeared and Merry had to take a long drink from her glass before she could recover her thoughts and order them into some form of coherency. “I was attracted to you when we first met. That was most likely obvious. You didn’t dress like one, but you were obviously a pureblood. I’m a waitress; I know how to spot the signs. That bothered me; all my life, I’ve only ever seen evidence that purebloods are arrogant and too powerful to not be corrupt and cruel. But you proved me wrong. Mordred proved me wrong,” Merry corrected herself with a bitter smile. “Then I found out who you actually were and I felt like an absolute idiot. I’ve comforted some of my friends after you broke up with them. All but one of them cursed your name and told me how much of a bastard, though a charming bastard, you were. They said that you were nice in the beginning and then you broke up with them without warning. It hurt to think that I could’ve been your next target, especially when I would’ve fallen for it so easily, so I swore that I wouldn’t have anything to do with you because you were obviously a bad person to be involved with. Only one person defended you, and she didn’t even know you. Emily, the blonde waitress at Table Five, is two years below us at Hogwarts and she told me that my instincts couldn’t be so wrong about you. But common sense won the battle against instincts and I stayed away from you.”

“Then I discovered your secret,” Merry continued after another sip of juice from her glass. “You just seemed to get more and more complex, and I couldn’t figure anything out. And I was offered charity; friendship and money in exchange for my silence, which had already been guaranteed by the Oath. It confused me, hurt my pride and made me suspicious. I didn’t know what to do so I continued to avoid you. I didn’t want to make matters worse. Obviously, I failed in that. I was wrong to follow that course of action, but it had seemed like the best thing to do. I would keep myself out of your life and none of you would have to worry about me divulging your secret. It seemed like the perfect solution.” Lita arrived with their food, looking utterly bemused by the idea of delivering food instead of eating it but happy enough to continue without complaint. “I don’t care that you won’t act on your attraction to me. I don’t think I want to date someone who thinks me capable of hating someone for something beyond their control. But I refuse to let your comment of me hating your sister pass without protest. I’ve only ever hated one person, Rister, and that person is my grandmother. I’m scared of hurting your sister further, but I don’t hate her. I hate what she has to go through and I hate the worry and stress that you and your siblings probably feel because of it, and because of what I know, but that’s all. So now that that’s cleared up, I think I should get back to work. I’ll finish my meal in the kitchen. Thank you for your unwilling company.”

[Rister Graas S6]

Rister observed quietly as Lita soothed Meredith. She actually seemed to be making leeway in it and Rister observed it quietly. It was interesting to hear though he had thought Meredith had imagined Rosalind in the same situation herself. How else could she have understood? But… she didn’t really understand. Not in the way it mattered. His mind still occupied in that thought, Rister was almost startled when Lita suddenly turned to him. She had always been blunt, especially so in his company. A quick review of his memory informed him of what she had stated though. “I wish I could answer you,” Rister responded to her, thoughtfully eyeing Meredith, “I truly wish I could, but I never understood it myself and if I had a lot of troubles might have been avoided. And despite all the pain and confusing and hurt… she still gets to me.” Pressing his closed fist against his chest Rister smiled wryly, the irony of the situation not lost to him. “She doesn’t even fit my general taste of fragile blondes but for some reason deep down that I don’t wholly understand she matters.”

Rister allowed Lita lean on him for comfort and security. He was used to being the strong one to occasionally lend a shoulder under anyone’s problems. “You don’t have an actual tangible bond with any of us, unlike Ashlyn and Damon. But you’re a part of our family just as certainly as all the rest of us. It’s your family too,” he whispered gently to Lita’s hair. Oh, he would take her to task still and they would argue loud and hard over what had happened today. But they’d do so in private and both of them being secure that in the long run it wouldn’t change anything between them. And for Lita, Rister would keep a tight reign on his temper – and when Italian blood mixed with a redhead temperament the outcome was volatile – and bite his tongue. For the trust Lita had requested of him in not so many words. For trust she had counted upon when she had approached Merry. “We very well might just still pounce and shred,” Rister murmured, acknowledging the words Lita had used to describe the situation before snickering quietly at the mental image of Ashlyn dealing with the situation. Ashlyn wasn’t the most patient girl around when it came to social encounters and for Damon’s feeling of ire through the bond, she would have probably enjoyed ripping Meredith into tiny little pieces that she would have then set fire on.

As he had returned to the table, Rister listened to Merry’s word patiently enough. Even as he pointed his fork to Merry as a sign for her to pause as he swallowed the bite in his mouth. “Even worse. Think on the muggle conception of werewolves. Horror movies, horror stories, horror, horror, horror. Muggle conception of werewolves is far worse than that of wizards.” Fools with good intentions… Rister scraped at his self-control to keep from rolling his eyes. And the girl wasn’t even a Gryffindor! Apparently Hufflepuffs were even firmer in their belief of utter goodness, whereas the right and best and kind thing to do was never easily discernable. Politely Rister refrained from comment when Meredith classified her attempts clumsy. They had been. Sometimes not saying a thing was more polite than commenting. But it was amusing to see her snap at him next. Apparently she was in the group that didn’t like the new appearance of the Gringotts building. Neither did Rister actually, but it was good to see some backbone for once. She’d need it if she was going to survive his family… Rister blinked at the unwelcome thought that had cropped up in his mind unexpected. He had admitted to Lita that she mattered, but he hadn’t really admitted the full extent to how much she mattered to himself.

“Little girlie, I am arrogant and powerful and cruel. I’ve been bred and raised to be. It’s what I need to be to make sure my loved ones, my family and those sworn fealty to our family will be alright. I’m cruel and cunning. I’m cold-hearted and cold-blooded, but I’m not heartless. With money and power come many privileges, but even more duties. I will be the head of a family including more than a few millionaires, and old family influential in politics. I need to make the right choices in the grand scale, because otherwise too many people can get hurt so I have been trained for it for my entire life. I do not often have a chance to settle back, relax and enjoy myself like I did during our first meeting,” he told Meredith instead. Pausing, Rister lifted a piece of meat to his mouth and chewed as he decided how to word the rest of what he wanted to say: “I’ve dated girls and I’ve broken up with them. But a question to you. Anyone I – or even my brothers – have dated, have they ever said we’ve broken any promises? We offer some fun, a night out. We don’t promise a relationship or anything more lasting than a night. I never promise to owl or smile the next day. If you tell me you aren’t up for just one night of smile, I’ll smile, accept your decision and we might become simple friends. But if I don’t feel anything on the night out, why should I waste both the girl’s and mine time on a relationship that will sizzle out sooner or later? Wouldn’t drawing it out, cheating on her, ignoring her slowly cause far more heartbreak?” A girl that had protected him? Rister turned to glance at the girl and as their eyes met, he flashed a quick smile of recognition over to her. “She worked with Gabriel on some schoolwork project. In the end of it, he offered to take her out. She asked if he was serious about pursuing a relationship with her so Gabriel affirmed that he was just looking for some fun. So she declined and I think they’re still on friendly terms. Her grade in charms improved as a result I think, as that’s Gabs’ specialty. We do not promise a girl anything so it’s their choice to risk themselves with us.”

“Any offence meant was unintentional. The wording is part of the Oath itself and was not chosen by us. If the secret had been yours, the wording would have stayed the same. It’s to prevent family hierarchy,” Rister took a sip of his drink and glanced out as he tried to find the simplest way of explaining this, “Pureblood families have a definite hierarchy amongst themselves. Between families themselves according to when then bloodline started fro example, there’s the Council of Eight, comprised by the matrons of eight most influential families in the country – my wife will one day be one of the matrons in Italy. But there’s also hierarchy inside the family. The Head of the Family comes first and then generally the wife of the Head and then the Heir. Graas family is old and one of the few that still sticks to some old traditions. One of those traditions is the near absolute power of the Head. Dad can control the finances of the entire family tree, he can settle marriages between any member of the whole family tree alive, he can pull rank and transfer blame for the crime from the person who committed it to someone innocent and the court has to trail the person Dad appoints as the criminal. He can even demand the magical power of every living family member and even direct that as his. There are some preventions and rules and limits, including those of time, but the power is near absolute.” Rister glanced at Merry and after her slow nod that she understood continued, “In such conditions Dad could demand to know the contents of an Oath and if the family-member had refused, such wording of the Oath would have protected the one in the hard spot. It’s an old wording, but it’s traditional and was not meant to hurt.”

Rister arched an eye-brow at Lita as she stole a piece of meat from his plate when she arrived with their food but didn’t comment. Instead he observed Meredith thoughtfully: “You hate your grandmother. Yet her exerted some of her own influence to cover your potion purchases.” Things clicked into place for Rister rather immediately, him being accustomed to the ways and schemes of purebloods. “You’ve caught my attention and in the pureblood society I’m considered quite the catch,” he murmured to Meredith, leaving it to her to draw her own conclusions, “But perhaps it would be smarter for you to prepare mentally were your grandparents to contact you.” Rister raised her hand stalling as a flash of emotion flared over Meredith’s face. “Shush. For once think it through first. You might be full of indignant fury. But think of your mother. They’re her parents, what would be easiest for her? And then your father. Your mother got disowned partial due to him, would he want to reconcile her wife with her parents or would distance be better? What about your siblings? Pureblood world is cold and calculated largely, but there are many privileges as well. Think it through this time. Your choices don’t influence just you.” Merry closed her mouth with an almost audible click and Rister smirked almost fondly, wondering if she had thought of her parents herself. “Sit down and eat,” Rister ordered as Merry made the idiotic suggestion of eating in the kitchen. She was sorry, he could see that. But she didn’t fully understand. Picking up his glass, Rister drained it. Not so much out of thirst, but for a plausible excuse to get Lita to their table. Turning his head he caught her eyes and raising his glass tapped a finger against it. “You really need to learn some patience and start thinking things through. Because even now you don’t fully understand. It’s full moon tonight,” Rister murmured as Lita had reached their table. He could sense Lita freezing next to her so he raised his eyes and glanced at her. She knew Merry, so she might guess if seeing what transformation really meant would help her understand. Heck, there were even illusionment charms that would help her pretend it was Morgana or one of her siblings transforming, or perhaps even use the resemblance he had to Dad and play on the attraction. “Dad,” was the one word he told Lita who seemed to be on the verge of protesting, as taking Meredith to another one of Morgana’s transformations would be idiotic. But Morgana wasn’t the only werewolf in the family.

[Merry Garwin H6]

Merry had tried to imagine Rosa in Morgana’s place during the full moon. She just couldn’t. It was too hard. She didn’t want to imagine her youngest sister in such pain. But...wasn’t that the point? For a short time, all Merry had to do was merely think of Rosa in pain. Rister and his family had to watch their sister’s pain every full moon. For the first time, there was an honest depth of understanding in her eyes when Merry blinked up at Lita and nodded slightly. Obviously pleased, Lita smiled with more warmth than she had ever shown Merry before. She was on the right track, Merry surmised hopefully. She didn’t like knowing that she had hurt, and was still hurting, another person with her lack of comprehension. She didn’t want to listen to Rister’s answer to Lita’s question, Merry tried to convince herself. She didn’t want to know why he was attracted to her. Except, of course, for the fact that she did. Which simply made the vague answer all the more frustrating.

“We were never allowed to watch horror films.” Merry blushed lightly, ducking her head in embarrassment. Her brothers had always complained about that restriction in their lives, but they had never broken that rule until it had been lifted for them when they left the house. It was something that their mum was serious about and not even Reid was impulsive enough to wilfully disobey their mum over something so trivial yet so evidently important. Kali had been cross at the idea that she was forbidden to do something, whereas Merry had simply never been interested. She preferred books to movies. Pip had yet to pass an opinion and Rosa wanted to hear more about fairytales and princesses in high towers than horror stories. “That was the one thing that Mum openly refused to let us do. As long as we live under her roof, no horror films. I don’t see the point in watching something solely for the purpose of being scared. I have better things to do with my time, like working or playing with Pip and Rosa.” Mum was so protective, Merry thought affectionately. As children, they all would have woken up with nightmares from watching horror movies if they had been allowed. Tyler might be the eldest, but Reid was the more persuasive of the two when he wanted something.

“So you’re just like them,” Merry murmured unhappily, more than a little venom entering her tone on the last word. She had been right then. Rister was just like every other rich pureblood she had met, he just hid it better. Money and power were still the top objectives. But at least she knew firsthand that he protected his family fiercely. He did have some decency. Lita was different, but there was an easy explanation for that. Lita never said anything about her family but she had clarified that she wasn’t from one of the richer or powerfully influential families. The most powerful ally she had was Rister, and that was only because of their friendship. As she slowly submerged herself in thoughts and considerations, Merry ate mechanically, barely tasting the food as her brow furrowed in thought. Lita had taken to ordering Merry to sit down and just think deeply about all angles of a situation before she opened her mouth or made a decision. It wasn’t easy. The last time Merry had seriously thought about something instead of just following her instincts, she had ended up avoiding Rister. Just look at the mess that had created. “From their shock and unhappiness, it seemed extremely likely that you had broken some sort of agreement with them,” Merry answered carefully, her expression distant as she tried to remember her friends’ distress. “Unless the girl asks how serious you are, do you ever make it clear that you aren’t necessarily offering more than one night? An omission of fact can be equal to a promise to some people.” Bemused, Merry watched as Emily smiled shyly and offered a quick lift of her hand in acknowledgement before scurrying into the kitchen with the order from her table. “She never told me that,” Merry smiled ruefully, “and if I asked her why she didn’t tell me, her answer would probably be along the lines of ‘you didn’t ask’.” Merry was never sure if Emily liked to be mysterious or if she just hated to share her personal life but the right question had to be asked before an answer was given.

It seemed dangerous for one person to have such complete control of an entire family. Yet, if that person was responsible and had the best interests of the family always in his mind, it could work out well. “It was only my pride that got hurt,” Merry answered dismissively. “I probably have too much pride anyway.” Her grandmother had interfered. Merry might not be an expert on the ways of the purebloods, but she wasn’t an idiot. Her grandmother knowing about her potions addiction was too dangerous to be allowed. It gave her power over Merry. It took Rister’s words for Merry to catch on to her grandmother’s motives for covering up Merry’s purchase of the potions but she scowled instantly. “What are my options? I don’t know enough about your world to be able to consider everything.” Merry asked Rister calmly, her own mind working furiously in search of the best route to take. She could turn her grandparents down flat if they did approach her, but then the news of her addiction might make an interesting story in the Prophet. If she accepted whatever offer they made her, she would be stuck in the cold world of political alliances and calculations that she hated. But Pip and Rosa could benefit from it. There would be money for them, and so many privileges. Rosa would love it; it would be like a lifetime of playing dress up in fancy clothes. Just like she had loved the time in Italy with Rister. But what about afterwards? When she had expectations and duties placed upon her? Could Rosa cope with that? Pip had a quick mind and a suspicious nature; he would be perfectly capable of dabbling in politics. What about her parents? Dad despised his wife’s parents for what they had done to her. Mum had been so hurt by their continued rejection of her. They were her parents, she still loved them. But would she want her daughter in that world? Her head ached painfully and Merry buried her head in her hands helplessly. She didn’t know what to do anymore.

[Lita Hollows R6]

“It’s my family too,” Lita repeated with a small smile. She was actually starting to believe it. She didn’t share their blood or their name but she was a part of the Graas family just as surely as she would be a Maydell one day. And both families were better than the one she shared blood with. “Ashlyn is so protective of Damon,” Lita snickered light-heartedly. “She isn’t ready to admit it, but Damon might well be married before you if Ashlyn ever adjusts to the idea of having a family. She’s been alone for too long. Though I’ll never understand how she got into Gryffindor. Ashlyn’s more suited to Slytherin or Ravenclaw.” Lita shook her head in confusion, clearly mystified, then looked up at Rister with abrupt seriousness. “You can’t,” she warned him earnestly. “If you’re going to ruin the trust that I’ve only just gotten from Merry then I’ll force you out of here myself. I’m trusting you to keep your brothers and Leandra calm, Rister. I’ll try to talk Ashlyn into using that helpful bond to keep Damon as calm as possible but she’s not reliable. My own focus will be keeping Merry calm; keeping everyone else calm falls to you. It’s a lot to handle and I apologise for that, but you can’t earn her trust if you’re not going to stay calm.”

As much as she trusted Rister, it still bothered Lita that she had leave so much to him. He was involved on too much of an emotional level. It created too many variables. But there was only so much that Lita could do without jeopardising the fragile trust that Merry had placed in her. It irritated her to new extremes but, for now, Meredith had to come before her own family. It was for Morgana, Lita reminded herself sternly. For Morgana, Lita would invest her time and patience in a Hufflepuff who seemed incapable of helping herself just so that Merry could apologise sincerely without being terrified of the reaction she would receive. It did confuse her though. How could someone be so scared of Rister, Damon, Gabriel, Jared, Leandra and Morgana? It just didn’t make sense. Sure, Morgana was a werewolf. She was dangerous for three nights every month. Or if someone really annoyed her. Maybe it was just because she thought of them as her family, Lita concluded as she finished noting down an order and moved on to the next table, pausing for a moment when one of the waitresses put a hand on her arm timidly.

Lita rolled her eyes when Rister signalled for her to go over to the table but obeyed without question. “Blondie wants you to ask Gabriel if he can help her out with the new spell in Charms sometime next week,” Lita told Rister idly, gesturing in the vague direction of the blonde waitress that had pulled her aside for a moment. Merry looked absolutely traumatised, Lita noticed with surprise and shot an accusing glance at Rister. Hadn’t she made it clear that they needed Merry’s trust for the moment? “She’s not ready,” Lita told him simply, biting her lip as she studied Merry thoughtfully. No, Merry wasn’t ready, not really. But Kris could handle a potentially bad reaction much better than Morgana and it would help to gauge just how prepared Merry was. After a few minutes of thought, Lita nodded silently and crouched to be on eye level with Merry, tapping her shoulder firmly to catch her attention. “Merry, I’m going to ask you to trust me, okay? Just like with the potions. I won’t let you be hurt. Not all of Rister’s siblings will be there. So don’t worry about facing them just yet. It’ll just be me, you and a few of the others on a nice night when the moon is full. Can you handle that?” It took a few long moments and Merry still looked indecisive but she nodded and lost the faltering expression when she finally made her decision. “She’ll do it,” Lita told Rister shortly, “but you’ll have to pick who’ll be there very carefully. If you pick Damon then Ashlyn will have to be there. Which reminds me, what about Layla?”

[Rister Graas S6]

Them. The word had such venom in it that Rister arched his eye-brows curiously. He hadn’t expected such contempt from her. “Them?” he repeated curiously with an enquiring tilt of his head. “We have our reputations as playboys, but we’ve all stated publicly often enough that we’re just looking for a little bit of fun. And I’m rather certain that at some point I’ve told every girl that I’m not looking for anything permanent or serious until I meet a girl I feel I might one day propose to.” Rister spread his arms and shrugged to show his helplessness: “If someone takes that statement as a proposal, it’s really their fault to be honest.” For a moment Rister toyed with the idea of teasing Merry with the notion that if he asked her out again that would mean he was interested far more seriously of her, but then decided against it. Even if at one point they might reach the point where that would be possible again, it was not now. Instead he eyed with some amusement as the girl ducked out of sight from him. “Have you ever asked her that?” Rister questioned with a lazy tilt of his head, “But I suppose it’s somewhat hard to stay afraid of someone who you see playing poker against his two little sisters on candy – that I actually bought in the first place – and loosing all of them miserably, once when Gabriel let her in the Slytherin 6th year boys dormitory.” Merry seemed rather scandalised at the idea so Rister merely smirked in amusement at her. Gabriel had been hunting for some charms book and had came to check Rister’s trunk – where it had been – and as most other Slytherins had been away home or visiting relatives over a weekend that had four free days, he had let her in the “pit of evil”.

Rister observed Meredith hiding his face and swallowed a sigh. Resisting the urge to reach out and pat the top of her head, he surrendered to the impulse to help and mused over the situation. “I’d probably simply sit back and wait to see how things would unfold. Once my grandparents would contact me, I’d politely inform them I need to think about it. Distant enough to not guarantee an answer either way, polite enough to open both ways. And then I’d go and talk to my mother and ask for advice,” he murmured, leaving it up to Merry’s discretion to decide what to do, “Despite removing a daughter form the family, people remember blood-ties so every backlash against you would be far harder against them. If you turned them down flatly, they would simply grow colder but probably keep it hushed up themselves.” Keeping his siblings calm around Meredith. It would be a challenge. He could probably manage… if he warned his brothers in advance one at a time. Leandra would be harder but then again Leandra had never bothered to censure her thoughts anyway. Her brutal frankness would shock Meredith either way.

Rister snickered at Merry’s appalled look, even as Lita glared at him. “Accuse Gabriel not me. Apparently we’re all heartless playboys and spawns of hell – though we know only Damon is the last – so she doesn’t approve differencing opinions on that. No idea about Gabs plans for next week, but he had something bigger this week so he might have free time. I’ll tell him when I next see him.” Even so Lita swatted at him absently, even as her mind had already moved on to the next problem so Rister let her muse as he returned to his food. He even allowed the two girls to pretend to have some privacy as Lita reserved his idea to Merry, who didn’t seem that wholly convinced, but who agreed anyway. “None,” Rister answered bleakly at Lita’s questions about relatives, “I can organise transport for the three of us probably even easier than for a larger bunch. And none of my siblings absolutely have to be there really. Perhaps Layla. She liked mom.” And she was close enough to Rosalind in age to bring out Merry’s protective instincts. That might be useful. To an extent. If you had someone else to worry over you didn’t wail so long over more trivial details. And Rister wasn’t really relishing the idea of explaining the whole situation to mom and dad. They’d probably be reasonable, but he still didn’t really relish the thought.

“Gabriel has a shoot today anyway, Jared a recording and if I irritate Ashlyn anymore in the next couple of days Damon will bash my head in with her violin case, upon which I’ll have a dead brother and a future sister-in-law facing prison on my hands. And Leandra’s mouth wouldn’t behave without a muzzle,” he mused somewhat longer, as he glanced at the two girls again, “To Italy it is then. Layla might enjoy the trip so I’m going to have to send you to get her from Hogwarts, if you want to bring her along. Ashlyn will trust her with us if we’re going home. And if Meredith can get away from work, she can get whatever she wants to prepare in order – mind you, it’s warmer in Italy than it is here – or come with me while I organise some sort of transport for us. Considering its international trip a private flight might even be faster than portkey queue, if some relative is in town.”

[Merry Garwin H6]

“Them,” Merry repeated in bitter confirmation. She didn’t even know who ‘they’ were anymore. Her grandparents, every pureblood who had ever used their higher status as a reason to be rude and ill-mannered, a vague childhood ideal for the four eldest Garwin children who had grown up knowing precisely where they stood in life and how insignificant they were. She had outgrown that simplistic view and yet it still lingered in her mind. Merry closed her eyes for a moment, her weariness and longing for a potion evident. “I’m sorry. It’s not my place to judge. Or to open my mouth before thinking,” she added with a wry smile. It was odd to think of Emily as being on friendly terms with Gabriel, especially to the point of being invited to the Slytherin dorms and accepting without protest. The blonde was so shy and quiet; Merry had never experienced the more light-hearted and thoughtful side of the other waitress. It wasn’t easy to get to know people during working hours, not in this café. Idle chatter wasn’t encouraged at all. Three infractions of any kind effectively terminated the employment. That had been the very first unofficial rule that Merry had been warned about by the older waitresses when she had first started.

There were too many things to consider. She wasn’t used to making such huge and important decisions. Before this, her biggest decision was probably ‘should I take three shifts at the archery range today or skip lunch and do four?’ Nothing life-changing in any way, just an unhealthy decision that her stomach protested quietly. Her bank account had been quite content with outcome though. Merry knew what her older siblings would do. Tyler would offer a polite refusal and both Reid and Kali wouldn’t bother with tact in their negative responses. But she wasn’t them. She had to make her own decision, not just what was best for her but what would turn out to be best for the entire family. To do that, she’d have to tell her parents about it, including why she was afraid to just offer a firm refusal. “Thank you.” Merry lifted her head slightly to smile at Rister with genuine gratitude and appreciation. She had needed an informed insight into the situation but Rister hadn’t been obligated to help her.

Merry didn’t want to do this. She wasn’t ready. Even Lita said that she wasn’t ready. But she was being pressed into it anyway and she owed it to them to at least try. The knowledge that none of Rister’s brothers or sisters would be there was reassuring, Merry admitted to herself without hesitation. She wasn’t entirely sure who Layla was but guessed that she was most likely the blonde-haired first year who had been sorted into Ravenclaw at the start of the year and been adopted into Rister’s little group almost immediately. That would mean that the younger girl also knew about Morgana’s secret and had handled the situation better than Merry herself, she concluded wryly. Wonderful. An eleven year old girl was smarter than she was. It didn’t do much for her ego. “I just need to grab my bag from the staffroom and ask someone to finish my shift,” Merry supplied helpfully, eyes flicking over the other waitresses calculatingly. Caryn owed her a few favours from when Merry had covered her shifts on short notice. It was about time that she called in that debt anyway. If she had left it much longer then it would have been forgotten about. “I was going to practice for a few hours after this so I have a change of clothes in my bag. The gym won’t be surprised if I don’t show up; they’ll just presume that I got stuck in work again. I can leave my quiver in the staffroom until I’m next in work. No one will steal it.”

[Lita Hollows R6]

“What?” Lita scoffed openly, shaking her head with a snicker as she rocked back on her heels comfortably. “Just because a girl wants help with Charms – the class, not the concept of charming someone, though Gabriel could help with that too – you’re all suddenly heartless playboys? Only I can call you that. Damon’s a demon though, that’s true,” she affirmed with a quiet laugh. “I’d never let Ashlyn hear me say that though. She’d start lecturing me on how I didn’t have the slightest inkling of just how evil Damon can truly be. The argument that I’ve known him for years longer than she has doesn’t even work in their case.” She loved to watch Damon and Ashlyn together though. Apart, they were entertaining. Together, there was nothing more amusing. Lita had yet to find something more effortlessly entertaining than Damon trying to coax Ashlyn into accepting that she actually had a proper family now and Ashlyn trying her hardest to remain stubbornly oblivious to anything but the fact that Damon was her friend and the person she was bonded to. The interaction between the two was so naturally adorable, although Lita did sometimes wonder what would have happened if Ashlyn and Damon hadn’t become accidentally bonded to each other. The idea made her ponder. Thoughtfully, Lita tugged on a lock of brown hair, as was her tendency when she was distracted from the issue at hand by a particularly interesting concept.

Lita stared at Rister scoldingly, swatting at him playfully. “What have you done to Ashlyn to annoy her so much? You know she doesn’t have as much patience for your antics as I do. The only one of you boys she’ll tolerate for longer than an hour is Damon.” What would it be like to have such an insight into someone’s mind and to know that they could get the same insight into yours, Lita pondered curiously. Ashlyn probably hated it, and Lita couldn’t really blame her. But it most likely gave Damon a deeper understanding of the girl bonded to him than Ashlyn herself would give him if the decision was hers to make. “I highly doubt that she’ll let Damon anywhere near her violin case though.” Lita smirked, her eyes bright with amusement and laughter. “Did you hear Ashlyn’s rant after one of the girls she shares a dorm with accidentally tripped over it? She’s feeling particularly protective of it at the moment.”

“I might have to stay in Hogwarts a little while longer than I would usually if I was just getting myself ready,” Lita warned Rister absent-mindedly, her mind mostly occupied in planning. They wouldn’t have to worry about Layla. The girl was smart, calm and thoughtful; she’d probably figure out what was going on even if Lita didn’t explain to some extent. Layla’s own reaction to Kris and Morgana had been humorous though. The memory made Lita smile softly. Ashlyn had been so very much on edge about her cousin’s reaction, which had just made the situation even more amusing when Layla had gazed at them calmly and simply asked if she could hug Morgana. “Ashlyn probably won’t let Layla go without an explanation unless she’s otherwise distracted. I’m not sure whether or not to hope that Damon is with her,” Lita smiled dryly as she raised herself to her feet. Truthfully, her biggest hope was that Ashlyn wouldn’t demand to accompany her cousin because then Damon would most likely end up joining them. It would do Merry good to face up to the accusations and anger that she’d earned by hurting Morgana so, but having Damon and Ashlyn along just piled more responsibility on Rister since he’d have to keep them under control. “Pass me those bags, Rister. I’ll apparate to Hogsmeade and collect Layla from the castle.”