All Good Things

Chapter 23 - Of Snakes and Lions

Victoria

Poppy had chosen to forgo the Friday night drinks with the group of Ministry workers, choosing a night in. The former Hufflepuff had spent the entirety of the week disposing of letter after letter, and package after package from the affluent witch from her past. Tori had thought drinks with the group would help ease her mind, but Poppy had been insistent on staying in after the events of her last outing. She had encouraged Tori to not skip her regular outing just to stay in, and had all but pushed the taller witch out the door.

And yet, despite her insistence, Tori was sat there at the table, drink in hand, considering heading home out of concern for her girlfriend's current mental state. Her gaze was fixed on her long, dark fingers, tapping against the glass of her still unfinished drink. Poppy had become increasingly aggravated over the last week with each new letter that she received, the irritation having caused her to be unable to rest at night only to crash in the wee hours of the morning.

Tori was pulled from her trance by the large, freckled hand that appeared in her face, snapping until she looked up.

"Anybody in there?" Sebastian had furrowed his brow at her, dropping his hand back to the table. "Natty asked if you were okay. You haven't even finished your first drink."

"Oh, yes I'm fine. Just lost in thought is all." Tori brought the liquor to her lips, taking a rather large gulp.

"Is something going on at home? Perhaps with a certain small woman?" Natty had leaned forward, a look of concern etched on her face.

Garreth looked at Tori, his lips pursed, the knowledge of what they had been dealing with weighing heavily on him. She flicked her gaze between the four others at the table, noting the worried looks on their faces.

"I'm fine. I promise. I'm just worried about Poppy is all. Eliza is not letting up, and if I had it my way, this would have been dealt with already. But..." She took another swig of the gin, wincing at the burn as it trailed down to her stomach. "I understand why she doesn't want me to interfere, and I respect her decision."

"I can think of one easy way to fix this problem in less than five minutes." Sebastian turned away from her, taking a drink of his own liquor.

"And how many times has your way of fixing problems actually solved the issue without creating more chaos, Sallow?" Tori shot a glare at the brunette, meeting his fiery gaze with her own.

"Oh don't you even go there, Finch. It's been six years, and you still won't let it go!" Sebastian was shouting now, his face inches away from hers, a sneer plastered over his features.

"Alright, okay, there is a quick easy fix to this little issue right here." Garreth had launched himself up, grabbing Tori by the upper arm and switching places with her across the table. "The last thing we need is to get kicked out of the pub because you two can't resist fighting each other every time one of you is stressed. Sebastian, go outside and get some air. Tori, drink." The redhead shoved a glass of water her way, the ice shifting as it slid across the table.

"Since when did you become the level-headed one of the group, Weasley?" Ominis snickered, taking a shot of firewhiskey, tilting his head in the direction Sebastian had stormed off in.

"Since I've been dealing with a hormonal, pregnant wife and a toddler with a hot head. Now, everyone just calm down, and let's look at the logistics of this whole problem." Garreth propped his elbows up on the table, clapping his hands together. "Now, I'm sure Ominis is as aware of Eliza's... blood status as I am, and Natty always seems to know what to say in regards to any situation."

Tori gulped the water down, her eyes catching where both Natty and Ominis were nodding along with Garreth. She looked back to the ginger, his olive eyes locking with her own.

"I want to know why you're not worried about fighting this broad. There is obviously something we..." He gestured between the entire table before placing his hands back together. "Don't know."

"Actually... it's just you, Gare. Ominis, Natty and Sebastian are already aware of far more than you are." Tori suppressed a snicker at the huff Garreth let out, seemingly offended that he'd been left out of the loop on whatever was going on with his fellow Gryffindor. She sighed, setting the water back down. "One of those things is involved in why I was always absent during fifth year. The other was something I discovered one summer when Natty and I were traveling the continent."

Sebastian had returned, his demeanor far more level than when he'd left. He didn't speak upon sitting down, just rested his forearms on the table and leaned in to hear the revelation that the other two men seemed invested in. Tori waved for another drink. She was going to need it for all the questions she was about to receive from her friends.

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Tori practically stumbled through the floo flame, the firewhiskey shots having hit her system like a well timed Depulso. She felt hot, like her skin was on fire. The room swayed slightly as she made her way into the kitchen, digging around in one of the cabinets till she found the small violet potion she was looking for. She found it particularly difficult to pop the cork, downing the small vial in one swig, immediately feeling the effects of the alcohol ebb.

She leaned one hip against the counter, bracing her hand against the flat surface as the room slowly stopped spinning. Once everything was nice and stable again, she found her gaze drawn to a note, the parchment folded and her name scrawled in familiar cursive. Her fingers grazed the paper, pushing the note open as her eyes scanned the message inside.

Tori,

Went out to the sanctuary

to brush the beasts and clear

my head. Be home soon.

xo, Poppy

Tori scrunched her eyebrows together, pushing off the counter and making her way back to the floo flame. She knew Poppy had a tendency to head off toward the sanctuary when she needed time to think, especially at night when the heat of the sun had faded away to make room for the cool of the night air. But something felt off, not about Poppy's habits or the note, but a strange feeling was creating a pit of dread in her stomach.

She dug in her pocket for a moment, dragging out the small satchel of green powder and setting the flame for the cottage. The moment she was through, her skin prickled with goosebumps. Something was definitely off. Something she couldn't quite place. Tori looked around the small space, noting the fact that the back door leading from the cottage to the sanctuary was still closed and locked.

Her feet had just begun carrying her over to the door, her wand raised to inspect the wards on the building when movement from the second floor landing caught her eye. Tori wrapped one hand around the handle of her wand, stepping closer to the stairs and peering up.

"Tori?" A small bob of chocolate hair swung over the banister, large brown eyes blinking in shock. "What are you doing here?"

"I came to check on you. Is everything alright?" She didn't like the look on Poppy's face. There wasn't much that scared the small woman, and the fear she saw there put her even more on edge.

"I'm not sure. The wards haven't been breached, but... something is wrong with the beasts. They're all far too quiet."