⋆.ೃ࿔*:･ (i. an unwanted reunion)
↳ in which she, quite literally, stumbles into him
'FEELS LIKE I'M LOST IN A MOMENT,
I'M ALWAYS LOSING TO WIN'
Cafe Bonheur, Diagon Alley
━━━━ August 16th, 2000
Cafe Bonheur was a rather quaint, magical space tucked in between Madame Malkin's Robes for All Occasions and Potage's Cauldron Shop in Diagon Alley. The interior of the Cafe was decorated with various pieces of oak furniture - it's tables laden with black lanterns and enchanted candles.
The lights strung on the ceiling encompassed the interior of the cafe in a soft, warm glow - creating an electrifying buzz of magic, bringing indescribable comfort to all that entered. On the left side of the wall hung multiple photo frames depicting countless happy memories.
Vibrant green hanging plants were scattered around the cosy space as plush emerald green and silver cushions decorated the benches, paying homage to the most judged Hogwarts house. A cute black bell was situated right above the door, emitting an enchanting ring every time the oak door was pushed open.
For the most part, the quaint little cafe seemed displaced within the chaos of Diagon Alley. Had it not been for the moving pictures and the self-stirring drinks, one would easily have confused it as a simple Muggle cafe.
But that was the exact sense of abnormality that Hestia Nott had sought to achieve when she first opened Cafe Bonheur. Feeling displaced herself within the Wizarding World and the cruel legacy of her family name, Hestia had openly reflected her entire being in the interior of her cafe - hoping to create a place of comfort that offered all those who felt displaced a sense of normalcy.
And it had worked. Cafe Bonheur was always bustling with hoards of wizards and witches, both young and old. The atmosphere and warmth the small space exuded drew in an influx of customers on a daily basis - granted, most of those customers were either reformed Death Eaters or the fair few witches and wizards who didn't buy into the hysteria.
Besides, nobody in their right mind could resist Hestia Nott's infamous Cheesecake Bites.
There was a certain sense of happiness that seemed to encompass the cafe, leaving all that visited with a new sense of hopefulness and serenity - something that was eagerly sought after as the remnants of the Second Wizarding War fizzled out.
Asteria also believed that it didn't hurt having an adorable, always happy six-year-old running around the small space spreading joy as though she were a fairy. "Circe, darling, please watch where you're going!"
Speaking of witch. "Auntie ViVi!" Asteria didn't bother to hide the smile that broke out on her face as a mass of blonde jumped into her arms the moment she entered the homely cafe. The brunette grinned as she bent slightly, reaching Circe's level so she could hug her back just as tightly.
"I hope you haven't caused too much mischief today, my little star," Asteria spoke with a small smirk, her left eyebrow raised as she looked at her niece knowingly. Had she not already been well aware of Circe's mischievous ways, the remnants of flour and eggs in her hair were enough to give her away.
"I only did what Uncle Theo told me to," Circe responded with a tone of innocence, shrugging her small shoulders to refute any blame for her actions. "Besides, I had to help mum again today - Callie never came."
Asteria furrowed her brows at the news as an unsettling feeling of concern flooded her. Had it not been for the fact that Calliope Burke was a reformed Death Eater, Asteria probably wouldn't have been concerned by her absence (pissed off, definitely - but not worried) - however, this was the fourth time that week the girl had neglected to show.
"Again?" Asteria asked as she stopped at the end of the oak counter, raising a questioning brow at her sister who was in the middle of serving a customer. "I sent her an owl this morning but she never replied," Hestia shrugged, handing the man his change. The dark haired witch sighed wiping the flour from her forehead with the edge of her sleeve - looking as exhausted as Asteria felt after a dull day at the Ministry.
"How many calories are in these?" Asteria turned her concerned gaze from her sister towards the elderly woman standing behind the counter, a small grin forming on her lips. "Those are 180 Mrs Tomlin," Hestia replied with a kind smile as the familiar witch pointed towards Hestia's infamous Cheesecake Bites.
"Ooh, those are 200," Asteria winced in a joking manner as Mrs Tomlin moved her finger towards Hestia's 'Indulgent Molten Cauldron Cakes' causing the old woman to frown. Mrs Tomlin had been a regular at the cafe since the day it opened, having fallen victim to the deliciousness of Hestia's handmade treats.
In recent months, the old witch had begun to be more cautious of her weight - though that didn't stop her from stumbling into Hestia's cafe from time to time. "Although, I did hear that eating them stood up knocks off about 80 calories," Asteria added in a whisper, winking at the witch as though the information was top secret.
Mrs Tomlin, obviously feeling much better about her desired treat, grinned as she looked towards Hestia, "I'll take 5!" Asteria grinned, a small chuckle leaving her lips as she made her way into the back kitchens.
The witch had only managed to nab herself one of Hestia's homemade cinnamon cookies before the aforementioned witch entered the kitchens, scowling at her younger sister for stealing the 'merchandise.'
"Where's Winnie?" Asteria asked through a mouthful of crumbs, completely unaffected by her sister's glare. Hestia sighed at her sister's lack of manners, rolling her eyes as she placed an empty tray in the sink where it began to clean itself.
"I sent her over to Theo's - she wasn't very happy about it." Asteria could only imagine the fight that had no doubt broken out as a result.
Winnie was unlike most house elves in the Wizarding World. She had been Asteria's mothers, passed down the Greengrass line, and thus, had been passed straight to Hestia upon their mother's death. Having been never under the servitude of their wicked father, Winnie had never faced any type of cruelty or abuse.
In fact, the only torture the House Elf had ever been forced to endure was the fact that none of the three Nott siblings ever gave her any tasks to do. House Elves lived to serve - a fact that Hestia, Asteria, and Theo found incredibly cruel and thus refused to allow the elf to do anything for them.
Winnie wouldn't have any of it, however. Any chance she got to make herself useful the elf snatched with secure hands without even a moment's hesitation. Besides, Winnie certainly wasn't above biting and growling to ensure she got what she wanted - Theo had the scars to prove it.
"I'll cut my hours at the Ministry so I can be of more help here," Asteria decided as she picked up another cookie from the tray, leaning against the steel countertop as empty dishes and mugs began to soar magically through the air, putting themselves away.
Hestia rolled her eyes once more, placing the rest of the cookies into a box so Asteria couldn't steal another one. "There's really no need, Asteria," the eldest Nott sibling insisted with an exhaustive tone, as though the pair had endured that same conversation multiple times before ( which they had ). "You earned that job, don't throw it away to care for me."
"You can't afford to be stretching yourself thin like this. Between taking care of Circe and your condition-"
"Speaking of which," Hestia interrupted, successfully cutting off Asteria's motherly scolding causing the younger Nott sister to scowl silently, "I'm running low on the salve you gave me." Asteria sighed worriedly, standing straight once again as she nodded her head.
"I'll head down to Slug and Jiggers tonight and get more ingredients - if you're running low, the others will be too." Hestia offered her a smile of gratitude, moving to place the box of cookies in the storage cupboard, "take Circe with you, would you?"
Asteria smirked, raising a brow at her sister as a familiar expression of amusement contorted on her face - already aware of the chaos her niece must have created that day. "Hard day?" the brunette spoke teasingly.
"Theo taught her how to conceal Exploding Snaps in the bags of flour," Hestia deadpanned, her annoyed expression only increasing Asteria's amusement. As it is, nothing made Asteria more proud to be an Aunt then knowing her niece did not suffer the same cold childhood she, Hestia and Theo had been forced to endure.
"I'll take her by Florean's as a reward. You sure you're alright to close up?" Hestia rolled her eyes at Asteria's motherly tone, "I'm 26, not 80. I can handle locking a door."
Asteria smirked in amusement, nodding her head as she turned to exit the kitchens. "Oh! Don't forget your robes! It's getting cold out!"
. . .
Weasley's Wizard Wheezes, Diagon Alley
━━━━ August 16th, 2000
When Asteria had agreed to take her niece with her on her little shopping adventure, she had expected the small blonde to request a visit to Florean Fortescue's Ice Cream Parlour. She had pre-imagined Circe standing behind the counter, wide-eyed as she looked at the various flavours only to settle on the same one she chose every time Asteria took her there.
The brunette also knew that, on the very probable chance that Circe had finished reading her latest book, the child would want to stop by Flourish and Blotts to stare for what felt like hours at the rows upon rows of novels that were far too advanced for her current age.
Still, Circe would pick her favourites and Asteria would buy them, knowing her niece would try her hardest to make sense of the words crammed on the pages of parchment - her thirst for knowledge almost as strong as her desire to wreak havoc.
It was quite ironic then, given Circe's mischievous disposition, that Asteria had not expected to find herself stuck in the crowded interior of Weasley's Wizard Wheezes. As it happens, Circe was rather talented at getting what she wanted - she had been partially raised by Winnie after all.
Currently, the witch was standing in the middle of a very crowded aisle juggling two paper bags, (Diagon Alley was now apparently dedicated to becoming eco-friendly), and a half-melted Chocolate Fudge Ice-Cream as she tried to keep up with her very excited 6-year-old niece.
Circe was in awe - pulling Asteria every which way as her wide-eyes raked over every shelf as though she'd found hidden treasure. The young witch was careful not to touch anything, worried she'd either break something or set something off. That didn't stop her, however, from running over to the large bag of Exploding Snaps the moment her eyes spotted them.
Caught in the middle of her niece's elation, Asteria lost the grip she had on one of the paper bags. In an attempt to secure it before its contents spilt, Asteria stumbled into someone behind her - the force almost knocking her off her feet, had it not been for the strong hands that steadied her shoulders.
"Hey, don't fall for me," a haughty voice teased, the cheeky undertone causing a deep blush to decorate Asteria's cheeks. Which, she of course blamed on embarrassment the second she turned around and was faced with her saviour.
Asteria cursed herself for her oblivity. It should've been glaringly obvious to her just who owned the store given the 10ft mechanical ginger in the front window whose resemblance to the Weasley twins was rather uncanny. She had heard news of the Weasley twins opening their own joke store - she just hadn't expected this to be it.
The Weasley twins were infamous among the walls of Hogwarts for the pranks they pulled and the mischief they created - Asteria had been victim to many; almost falling into the swamp they had made on the Fifth Floor during her final year. She knew they had the mind to create their own store - she just didn't think they had the means to build one quite this impressive.
( which was both very judgy and presumptuous of her but she wasn't exactly placed in Slytherin on a fluke )
Fred, withdrew his hands quickly - his posture becoming stiff as he looked down at the witch. Had the emerald earrings she wore and the snake ring that curled around her index finger not given her away; the perfectly woven styling of her hair and the sharply tailored business suit was enough proof to showcase the woman before him radiated a dominant aristocratic elegance.
Elegance he had seen only once before in a girl he had gone to school with. "You're a Nott," Fred stated matter-of-factly as he stared down at the witch, his 6ft 2 frame looming over her considerably shorter one.
"Glad to know your eyes still work, Weasley." Asteria barely spared him a glance as she readjusted the bags in her arms, muttering a small "Evanesco" under her breath to discard the melting Ice-Cream in her hand. It was rather troubling that she'd not thought of it before.
"You're a Slytherin." Asteria rolled her eyes, silently imagining what it'd feel like to not be referred to or associated with her school House just once. "Yes, and you have red hair," the witch deadpanned with an irritated tone, "now, are we going to continue pointing out the obvious or are you going to allow me to shop."
If Fred felt threatened by her sharp tone, he didn't show it. Instead, he kept his expression well-guarded - his pointed gaze being the only thing letting Asteria know she was being regarded cautiously. He was waiting for her to do something dastardly - watching her as though she was on the verge of blowing.
"Just surprised to find the likes of you in my store is all." Asteria didn't miss the accusation in his tone. "Well you, apparently, own a joke shop and I have a rather rambunctious six-year-old with a wicked desire to cause mischief," Asteria replied, still cursing herself for being idiotic enough to not realise the massive joke shop on the corner of Diagon Alley was owned by the Weasley twins.
Fred raised a brow at the look of annoyance on Asteria's face, watching as the brunette looked over towards where the large bags of Exploding Snaps were kept before her face deflated. "Who, it seems, is also now lost," Asteria stated with a heavy sigh upon the realisation Circe had disappeared from vision.
"She's yours?" Fred inquired with mild interest, his brow raised as he looked down at the Slytherin witch. He couldn't recall Asteria being pregnant at Hogwarts - then again, he hadn't really paid that much attention to her unless it was for prank purposes or aiming bludgers at her during Quidditch matches.
"My sisters," Asteria replied curtly, offering the redhead a pointed side stare as her eyes searched the interior of the store for any sign of her niece. "Not that it's really any of your business." Instead of being put off by her tone and leaving her alone, which Asteria had desperately hoped for, Fred simply smirked in amusement.
Though his eyes were still transfixed cautiously, watching her for any jolty movements.
"Ooh, and the snake bites," Fred chuckled haughtily; his tone mocking and almost dry as if his main goal was to annoy the witch. And unfortunately for Asteria, it was working.
The brunette clenched her jaw in annoyance, her blue eyes crystalizing and expression deadly as she turned her full attention towards him. "With a poison known to kill, so I'd watch it, Weasley." The amusement quickly slipped from Fred's face as he held her stare - unwilling to back down from a fight of any kind. Stupid Gryffindor recklessness.
The redhead seemed to be just as infuriated by Asteria's presence as she was by his - a common ground he found himself despising. She was a reminder of the War, of everything they had lost and the evil they had lost it too. And he hated her for it.
The two were locked in a silent battle, both far too stubborn and prideful to admit defeat and thus only briefly aware of an approaching George who had his hand tightly clutched in a small, elated blonde's. "There she is! That's my Auntie ViVi - she's so pretty isn't she?"
"I believe this rascal belongs to you," George spoke with a polite smile as he and Circe came to a stop beside the two irritated wizards. The smile on his face was a reflection of the happiness invoked within him as a result of Circe's innocent ramblings - her love of mischief reminiscent of the one he had when he had been her age. (And still had currently).
Asteria sighed in relief, finally breaking her and Fred's anti-climatic stare off, (which he obviously took pride in, counting it as a solid win), placing her free hand on the top of Circe's back as the small blonde hugged the side of her legs.
"Thank you, George," the brunette replied in a polite tone, offering the tall wizard a kind smile before shifting her gaze back towards his idiotic brother with a raised, accusatory brow. "At least one of you were raised with manners."
Fred narrowed his eyes, the muscles in his jaw tightening as he glared at the witch with a calculated menace. "Pretty cheap coming from a Death Eater, wouldn't you agree, Georgie?" And though his question was directed towards his brother, his attention certainly wasn't; instead lingering on the brunette in front of him.
George frowned as he looked between his brother and Asteria, not really knowing who she was or why Fred seemed to regard her so harshly. He was certain, however, that whatever fight the two were in the middle of was something he definitely did not want to be involved in - the growing tension was already close to suffocating him as a bystander.
"Hmm. You should've quit while you were ahead," Asteria replied with a straight smile, her expression and tone condescending as her snake-like eyes bore into his with a vicious warning. "Do not assume to know everything, Fred Weasley - it makes you look rather foolish."
With her words of warning still lingering in the air, Asteria turned towards Circe, patting her gently on the back as if to encourage her to move. "Come on, my little star. I'm sure your mums wondering where we are."
Circe smiled infectiously, gripping Asteria's outstretched hand tightly in her small one as the two Nott's made their way to the exit. "Can we come back, Auntie ViVi?" Asteria nodded despite her annoyance - she never had been able to deny her niece. "Only if you promise not to put any more Exploding Snaps in the flour. Uncle Theo's already..."
As Asteria's voice faded with distance, George turned his full attention towards his brother finding Fred rigid with his angered expression lingering on the door Asteria and Circe had just exited. "Who was that?" the younger twin asked, his confused tone desperate for an answer Fred was unwilling to give.
"Nobody."
. . .
SERENDIPITY | ROUGH WATERS
Kasabian ⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯ underdog