gracetuft

[gracetuft]

EMMELINE. 

a pint at the leaky cauldron was more alluring than dinner with her parents – a quick owl, and she had been whisked away on a mission and unfortunately unavailable for a dinner that was nothing but an olive branch that emmeline didn’t care for. at least not right now – maybe it was her pride talking, but it wasn’t going to be on their terms, “if you’re going to keep staring, you might as well buy my next pint” 

@beforedawnstarters​

          grace felt like she was spending a lot more time at the leaky cauldron than usual. it was easier to spend time away from home and the ministry here than anywhere else. they weren’t really sure why they were staring at emmeline, but they didn’t mean to stare. “sorry. if you’re serious, next round is on me. i wasn’t paying attention.” grace looked around the leaky and smiled softly at her. “seems kind of empty tonight.” 

[gracetuft]

LIZZIE. 

              ❝      thanks   for   not   pushing   it      ❞      she   smiled   ,      raising   her   glass �� of   water   to   the   other   wix   ,      liz   recognised   them   from   the   papers   .   she’d   be   a   fool   not   to   ,      but   she   knew   better   than   to   make   a   thing   of   that   recognition   .      no   one   needed   that   .         ❝      i   think   if   i   was   drunk   i’d   be   less   relaxed   if   i’m   honest   ?   i   always   get   a   little   highly   strung   after   a   tipple   .      a   sober   me   is   probably   best   for   everyone      ❞

          “of course. only someone who’s a jerk would push it. or... i guess someone that knows you well.” grace didn’t want to drink tonight either. they really wanted to be out in public and not pay attention to all the people staring at them. “yeah, same. i might have a drink or two, but that’s it. not enough to get drunk. it seems... well, i don’t know. i don’t want that at least right now.” grace let out a bit of a laugh. “i guess every so often it’s good to let loose, right? around people you’re familiar with and trust.” 

[gracetuft]

ARDEN.

arden had not being have the best summer of her life, she felt like most people weren’t. she was ready to get moving onto the next part of her life and get it over with. though with the news of the murder she didn’t know exactly what to do with herself now. she had found herself at diagon alley, a little hungover and needing something to drink. she had sat down with the only available seat and hearing someone talk to her she had looked up at grace before looking down at her cup. “i just needed somewhere to sit. i won’t be here long.”

          grace probably was having the worst summer of their entire life. there were very few people that understood what she was going through and they didn’t really know how to act around people. it seemed like they were stuck in the anger part of their grief. grace missed the days when they could walk around diagon alley and people wouldn’t look at them weird. they missed the days when everything was simple. even her job was a lot. “that’s okay. the seat is open. i’m just in the middle of this draft and i have everything... lined up perfectly.” grace looked at arden with a sigh. “are you okay?” 

[gracetuft]

SLOANE.

               ❝  as  if  everything  wasn’t  already  suffocating  enough  —  sure,  put  on  a  corset  and  drink  champagne  so  you  don’t  have  to  feel  your  feet.  ❞  that  was  never  her  style,  and  just  from  knowing  the  basics  and  outward  version  grace  shows  of  themselves,  sloane  didn’t  think  that  was  their  style  either.  she  was  thankful  she  never  had  to  risk  being  invited  to  any  of  those  events,  or  at  least  she  hoped  she  would  never  have  to.  she’d  heard  things  about  muggleborns  being  invited.  ❝  people  watching  is  always  a  great  distraction.  noticing  the  things  people  try  to  get  away  with  or  what  makes  them  tick.  i’m  sure  the  alcohol  helps.  ❞  

          “yeah, i’ve never gone to them before.” the rest of her family typically went to them, but grace never cared to go, liking the freedom of being around her own people. grace never needed to be play into the political aspect of their world. that had always been their sister and their mum. now grace was responsible for that mantle and they were going to do things differently. “exactly, it’s...it’s never really been my scene. this is, even if i’m…” grace trailed off. even if she was the lone member of her family now and that meant she was supposed to be that person now. grace should have gone to the ball, probably. but... they weren’t going to do what people expected them to do. she giggled at sloane’s next statement though. “it really does though. people watching is a lot of fun. most people never notice they’re being watched.” 

[gracetuft]

@beforedawnstarters​

          news always seemed to travel fast through the wizarding world, which was one of the reasons grace tended to stay as far away from prying eyes these days. she felt like she hadn’t gotten a proper night sleep in ages. probably the last full night of sleep they’d gotten was when they were back at hogwarts, before exams. grace tried not to stop these days. always on the go and trying to focus her attention anywhere but her own emotions. if they stopped to think about it, grace wasn’t happy: not with work, not with life, and not with this community. clearly people thought murder was the right way to take care of a problem. what happened to the plots in books where threats and blackmailing did the trick? instead of sticking around the ministry, today grace thought diagon alley would be a better choice, for once allowing herself to be in public with her work scattered all over the table. a shadow cast over her table and grace glanced up. “no, that seat is not taken. however i’m not moving my stuff.” 

[gracetuft]

SLOANE.

             sloane  nodded  as  she  pressed  her  lips  tightly  together.  she  had  felt  the  same,  but  could  feel  more  for  grace  when  their  families  memorial  seemed  more  like  a  show  or  spectacle  hosted  by  those  higher  up  than  a  time  for  remembrance  and  goodbye.  ❝  better  now,  or  at  least  that’s  why  i’m  here.  i’m  tired  of  the  same  old  —  need  something  else  to  occupy  my  mind  so,  hey,  why  not  enjoy  copious  amounts  of  alcohol,  right  ?  ❞  she  laughed  and  rolled  her  eyes  a  bit,  but  some  time  with  friends  and  those  who  actually  seemed  to  care  felt  like  the  next  greatest  thing.  ❝  not  really,  but  it  feels  good  to  see  some  faces  i  can  recognize,  you  know  ?  ❞

          grace had only gone to the memorial because that’s what people expected of them. they’d stayed the whole time because they knew that people were watching. people were expecting them to be sad and they were, but this was a game now and grace had to let people know that they were playing. “yeah,” grace laughed, small almost forced smile resting on their face. “you’re here for the same reason i am. i’d rather be here having fun than at some stuffy ball.” grace had never been before, even if they’d been invited. “oh, well, what could make it more enjoyable? more alcohol? people watching? dancing?” even if she wasn’t feeling well, grace had always cared more about helping others than her own emotions. shoving the anger they felt to the side, they watched the crowd for a moment before turning their attention back to sloane. “but i get it.” 

[gracetuft]

SLOANE.

𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐠𝐫𝐚𝐜𝐞 𝐭𝐮𝐟𝐭.

at the leaky cauldron lock-in | @gracetuft

           not  to  say  sloane  was  particularly  avoiding  grace,  but  she  definitely  hadn’t  been  actively  seeking  them  out  for  a  conversation.  there  were  many  similarities  between  the  two,  too  much  for  sloane  to  handle  seeing  as  she  was  rather  avoidant  of  her  feelings,  but  she  wasn’t  sure  about  grace.  ❝  hey  grace,  ❞  sloane  smiled  as  she  sat  down  next  to  the  former  hufflepuff.  ❝  glad  to  see  you  here  —  i’m  sorry  i  wasn’t  able  to  attend  the  memorial.  ❞  

          grace knew that their family situation made everything a bit more complicated. while they’d always been kind and caring around other people, especially when they were going through something. right now it seemed like everyone wanted something from them. grace didn’t know what people wanted either. grief was tough for people and they understood why some people needed time to talk to them. while they did miss some people, grace knew (or hoped) the bridges weren’t burnt. “sloane, hello,” they smiled. “no, it’s okay. i didn’t really want to be at the memorial.” it was the truth. grace was ready for things to start getting back to normal, even if it mean that they skipped events like the black ball to hang out with people they actually liked. “how have you been?” 

[gracetuft]

LIZZIE.

𝐎𝐏𝐄𝐍 𝐒𝐓𝐀𝐑𝐓𝐄𝐑.

@beforedawnstarters​​

        ❝      thanks   for   the   offer   but   i   need   to   say   no      ❞      liz   smiled   even   as   she   turned   down   the   offer   of   a   drink   .      ❝      i’ve   had   one   or   two   already   but   we   know   it’s   only   a   matter   of   time   before   some   scuffles   break   out   ,      i   drink   anymore   and   i   wont   be   any   help      ❞

          “if you say so,” grace said, a small smile on their face. they were glad they were here instead of the ball. it was a bit more relaxed and grace felt like this was where they were supposed to be. it wasn’t that she cared much for the ball. “it’s nice that you’re thinking about others though. you know you can relax for one evening.” she understood though, it was easier to care for others than it was for herself. 

[gracetuft]

GRAEME.

“Well ye know I’d be happy to have ye along on my wee adventure, Grace,” Graeme replies, offering her a sincere smile. “There’s a band playing at the Marquee Club tonight, if you’re interested?“

          “i'm good to go anywhere tonight. getting out of wizarding london would be great for a bit.” they’d been stressed and tired lately. one night of fun would be nice for a chance. “sounds like a good adventure ot me.”

[gracetuft]

CLOSED / @trclawneys

          grace typically got an invite to the ball, but they’d never gone before. it never seemed like their kind of thing having to make small talk with people she barely knew. this year felt equally challenging, as she could have gone to the ball, but didn’t. it didn’t feel right, having to step into that role when there were other things they could be doing with their time. they’d always gone to the lock in, so the familiarity of it was what they craved. she was walking around, looking for someone to talk to when she spotted sybill. “hello, sybill,” grace greeted. “how are you?” 

[gracetuft]

𝐆𝐑𝐀𝐂𝐄 𝐓𝐔𝐅𝐓 attending the lock-in

[gracetuft]

GRAEME.

@beforedawnstarters​

“I’m going tae a muggle pub after this! Want to come with me?”

          “you know what? sure. i haven’t been to muggle london since... well before school let out.” 

[gracetuft]

JASMINE.

“are you planning to seek revenge, then?” she questioned, appearing uninterested in the response because in the end didn’t affect her much, she hadn’t been involved with the tufts end. but it would be so fascinating to see someone try to retaliate against the death eaters. 

          “even better,” grace replied, not blinking, “i’m looking for justice.” they knew they needed to be careful who they spoke to, but this was more wishful thinking than anything else. one day she would find who did this and they’d get locked up as a result. there would be no blood on her own hands. grace wanted the people who knew about this, who were behind this to see that those that opposed them were victorious. grace hoped they’d be there to witness it. 

[gracetuft]

JASMINE.

“i couldn’t imagine it, losing the people i love.” but then she didn’t really have to. she’d already lost hannah and she refused to lose anyone else she cared for. she nodded, because if grace found out it would mean they had gotten through their grief to the other side, and she didn’t want that. she wanted grace to suffer. “that will always be enough, in the face of grief, or life in general.”

          so many people couldn’t imagine the loss. everyone a person loved, gone in an instant. there were days when grace woke up from nightmares remembering hearing the news. the professors telling her everything she’d lost as if it was news they delivered on a daily basis. regardless, this toughened her, made her feel stronger. no one could understand that pain until they lost someone. “one day the people who did this will pay.” 

[gracetuft]

JASMINE.

the offer was an empty one but she’d made it anyway, she felt like she was supposed to, but social graces escaped her quote often. she preferred the ease of business interactions, of the dialogue that came along with it, the roles. this was different, it made her uncomfortable. “how do you ever get back to normal after something like this? it seems like a big ask – “ was she being empathetic or antagonistic? she wasn’t sure. 

          personally, they weren’t sure what was supposed to happen now. her parents were gone and now she was alone. the memorial was over, so now what was supposed to happen? people were going to get back to normal with their lives, the tufts just a distant though. this would be something that grace had to live with forever. “if i find out, i’ll let you know.” because grace didn’t know, she didn’t know that she’d ever know. “i’m not sure i’ll ever truly know, but i know what tomorrow holds and the day after that. right now that’s good enough.” 

[gracetuft]

EVAN. 

evan had already gone through the anger phase though it wasn’t anger that his dad was gone, it was anger at all the things he didn’t get to have, all the things that his father could have been if he had just been a little bit more present in his life. he was the only son of his parents, he had so much responsibility on his shoulders he didn’t know what to do with it half the time when he was younger. he takes another hit of the cigarette and blew it out, tapping the edge again. “give ‘em hell.” is all he said, knowing there were so many things that they probably didn’t know about, and all the things that he could connect with what had happened to their family. “do you want a drink?” he eventually asked, nodding his head towards the pub that wasn’t too far from them. 

          grief was complicated and grace was doing their best to navigate all these emotions that they weren’t really sure how to feel. of course they had been sad and angry before all this had happened, but now those seemed to be the only emotions that they felt. everyone coming up to them and saying sorry for their loss, as if their parents were the only thing they lost. “i’m trying.” though their efforts were almost laughable. grace had never been built for this kind of thing. they were sheltered and coddled. “yes, a drink would be nice.” as much as they didn’t want to believe it was true, it probably wouldn’t take much for grace to be scared back into whatever the people that killed their parents wanted. 

[gracetuft]

EVAN.

evan had lost pieces of himself when his dad died. it had been one of the most confusing times in his life the grief he had felt for a man that didn’t know how to love him in the right way. he had carried the name til his death and evan was meant to make something of it. he had looked over at them for a brief moment, taking another drag of the cigarette not entirely believing them when they said they weren’t sad but it wasn’t his place to question the way that they were grieving. “okay, so tell them to fuck off.” he says with a shrug. it had worked for him many times, the anger that he had felt when people tried to comfort him. he didn’t need comforting he just needed something to do. 

          grief was still something that grace was dealing with, though the initial shock and sadness had worn off and faded into anger. they wanted to know what happened, why it happened, who had killed them. people had told them that it was dangerous to think that way, though they didn’t care. someone had murdered their entire family. grace wasn’t sure what she was supposed to do other than find the people responsible. “unfortunately, it doesn’t work that way as some people that are bothering me have to bother me to do my job correctly.” being a wizengamont seat holder meant that grace now had responsibilities that they had to deal with and it fell to them to be nice to people, even if they didn’t want to be.