She Is Delightfully Chaotic

Getting back into the swing of things at work was exactly what Daphne Greengrass needed to put her time in the cabin behind her. It was always easy to get lost in color schemes and floral arrangements, the dark secrets of her past and present just fading into background noise.

And everything fell into place just perfectly, the way that it always did.

The event was being held at the Quidditch Museum in London, dozens upon dozens of formally set round tables spread out in the main room with live music and blown up portraits of past Cup Victories, the moment the winning team had been declared. It was tribute to both the past and future of the sport, members from the top six qualifying teams invited as honorary guests, the Bats and Magpies featured right up in front as the top two. It was a good natured gesture, a night to put rivalries behind them just before the big game the following weekend.

Though, what may have been Daphne's favorite exhibit, was the active demonstrations happening in the left wing, right in the middle of cocktails, that would later be opened up for their guests to participate. Of course, there were sober officials to ensure everything stayed safe and secure.

Just as the last server left the kitchen with a platter of hor d'oeuvers Daphne made her way to find Cormac, running her hands over the sleek lines of her black cocktail dress.

It had been nearly three weeks now since Daphne and Cormac had gone into hiding, three weeks of complete solitude with only Tippy popping in and out every other day to bring fresh clothes, food, and any news that she could. The only news that Daphne was concerned about was Cecilia, hoping everyday that her trial would be pushed forward and she'd be released. At least then she'd know that her best friend was safe and healthy.

The only news that seemed to come was about her father, how he'd been pulled from his own hiding spot and was on the run again. He was angry and being reckless, a sighting of him every couple of days.

Daphne had no doubt that in his haste he was looking for information about her, the daughter that had failed him.

There were moments that it was easy to forget that they were in hiding, long days stretching out into cozy nights in front of the fire with Cormac. Though, the knot of guilt only grew tighter. She was happy to have him there, happy to have him at all, but this wasn't his fight.

Hell, she wasn't even fighting. She was running and he was following. It made it so much worse.

So she was doing her very best to make up for it with what she had to work with, which meant that the usual gifts and spur of the moment vacations were out of the question. She made sure that Tippy always kept his favorite foods stocked up, fresh lingerie, and new board games to keep them occupied. It was the best that she could do.

The sun was starting to set as Daphne began to draw a bath with only the soft glow of the candles to light the room, the fresh scent of vanilla filling the small space. The entire cabin was quaint but it had a charm that Daphne was starting to appreciate, slowly. It was the bathroom, however, with its oversized, classic claw-foot tub that she had fallen in love with.

"Cormac, darling, are you going to join me?" she called, already settling into the warm water.

The ferry ride was long and cold, so much so that the captain had offered Daphne's his cloak to drape over her long, wool peacoat. Though, Daphne hardly ever felt it. She had gone numb long ago, perhaps the moment that she stepped inside this boat, her stomach twisting up into violent knocks as it rocked out into the choppy waters.

But this was not her first trip to Azkaban.

Daphne had attempted to visit Cecilia four times at this point. Each time she'd come they had turned her away, claiming that 'the prisoner' wasn't allowed any more visitors that day and that she should try again another time. They wouldn't tell her anything else, not give her another moment of her time even though she had just made the trek over. And she didn't say a word, didn't complain, and didn't demand - just nodding her understanding and took the same long, cold ferry ride back.

When they finally docked Daphne was happy to get back onto dry land, her stomach in her throat as the sea sickness washed over her. She was pale and her lips had dried out as she entered the large, looming building, the same chill running down her spine as it had the previous four visits. She only hoped that this time she'd actually be able to see Cecilia, hoped that she'd come early enough.

"My name is Daphne Greengrass. I'm here to see Cecilia Jacobs," she told the front guard, standing up straight with a practiced, even tone.

The guard looked down, skimming the logs and Daphne held her breath. She could already hear him turning her away.

"Come with me, please-"

Finally.

The flat just didn't feel the same since Cecilia had been arrested, there was an eerie silence there that reminded Daphne of Greengrass Manor. It gave her the chills to feel such a cold echo in this smaller space. Everything seemed to remind Daphne of Cecilia's absence, a heavy pressure building up in her chest every time she let herself think of her best friend wasting away in that cold cell, the terrifying waves crashing around the fortress that was Azkaban.

But she couldn't bring herself to spend a night away either, clinging to everything that could remind her of her best friend. It was better than distracting herself, the guilt a little bit less deep and piercing this way.

Early Tuesday morning Daphne dragged herself out of bed, still not sleeping as well since she had received the news about Pansy. It felt like every day there was somebody less in her life, the dangers pulling in, and the walls crumbling down. She was was completely burnt out from work, her short weekend with Cormac not nearly enough to put her back together again but there wasn't anyway that she could leave England now.

She went to put the coffee on, dragging her feet and still in her silk pajama set with her wand gripped in her hand. She'd been on edge but she wasn't going to take any chances either, which was good considering the strange figure in the kitchen.

And she was just about the hex him-

"George-" she sighed, noticing the familiar red hair that gave him away and she relaxed.

"What are you doing here? I almost stunned you."

It should have been no surprise to anyone that Daphne Greengass wasn't very good at managing her feeling, especially not the negative ones. Ever since she had heard the news about Pansy she had been throwing herself into her work, sneaking out early so that she could make it to the office first and canceling any dinner plans so that she could stay late. It was easier not to think about it at all, not to let it catch up to her and seep into her life.

This was the way that Daphne was back in Paris, back when her relationship had been in a downward spiral and she was convincing herself that it was just the distance that was the disconnect. But really it was all Daphne. She had a way of blocking everyone and everything out when she wanted to and drove forward at full speed until she burnt herself out.

At this rate, dealing with yet another tragedy and the worst thing to happen since the War, Daphne knew that she was headed down that path. Her desk was a complete mess of files and binders and papers, uncharacteristic organized chaos as the projects staked right on top of each other. There were empty coffee cups piling up in the small trash bin and there on her desk as well, clear signs that she hadn't been sleeping and too busy to even bother to clean up.

Daphne ran her fingers through her hair, taking a deep and heavy breath, just as she noticed her office door swing open.

Daphne finally made it home on the Thursday after the bizarre magical black out that weekend, shuffling in after a busy morning of meetings with new clients with her bags trailing right behind her. It was such a relief to have magic back again and Daphne wasn't about to take it for granted, using magic even more often than usual now just because she could.

There had been very little clean up to do back in the office, considering Daphne had chosen a muggle building that did not rely on so many charms to keep it up and running. Though, she'd spend a good deal of time recasting her protection spells and working on disaster control with clients that were supposed to have their events take place during the black out, ensuring them that they simply had to pick a new date and Daphne's would take care of the rest. There was really nothing else to do. Magical blackouts and the possible end of the Wizarding World weren't exactly specified under the cancellation policy.

She had already been packed for a week away so there wasn't much point in coming home when she could stay with Cormac, the both of them too wrapped up in each other to manage parting ways after what had happened. But she had to run out of outfits eventually and there was no way that she was going to be seen coming into the office in the same outfit twice in one week. Even the idea of the same outfit twice in one month was enough to make her run back to her own room where there was a closet full of unworn, gorgeous clothing waiting for her.

"Roomie?" she called out, hoping that she could catch Cecilia between shifts at St. Mungo's. "We have a lot to catch up on so you better be home!"

It had been a particularly long week and somehow it was only Tuesdays, running from appointment to appointment for showings for the last two days straight. There were a few larger parties set up for the following weekend that needed final venue walk-throughs but she also had a long waiting list of future clients that she was trying to work through as well. She had never expected the office to become so busy so quickly and it was becoming more clear every day that she wasn't prepared for it, having decided that she was going to hire another planner.

Surprisingly enough the only thing getting her through her terribly long day was the date that she had with Cormac once her final meeting had gotten out, looking forward to relieving some stress tangled up in his sheets. Over the last few weeks the two of them had somehow fallen into a steady routine with each other, hardly spending more than couple days without a lunch hour drop by or a night barricaded inside of his flat getting lost in each other.

Daphne arrived at his flat later than she had anticipated, her last meeting running nearly an hour after their scheduled time, and she was so ready to step out of her dress and kick off her heels, preferably if Cormac was there to help her undress. She touched up her lipstick quickly and fluffed out her hair before knocking on his door.

Something had shifted out in Barcelona with Cormac and it was so faint, so subtle, that Daphne barely even noticed until it happened. After that first night their weekend went on as planned, long days spent rolling around in the sheets with quiet lulls and stolen, softer moments. It was exciting but also extremely comforting, sharing a piece of her that she had locked away for so many years, getting to know somebody who was only interested in the person she was now rather than the person she used to be.

Once they returned to London she slipped just as easily back into every day life, doing her best to put whatever moments they had shared together in the back of her mind and convinced herself that it had all been a fluke. Drowning herself in fabric swatches and centerpiece samples kept the blissful, daydreaming smiles at bay until their dinner date Friday night, reminding herself that it was just a means to end up in his bed later that night. She wasn't ready to dive into anything, refusing to even, and she knew that Cormac wasn't either. That wasn't what they were doing.

They found themselves in an upscale French bistro, a mutual favorite as it would seem. It was an extremely busy night, couples dressed up and lined up out the door with hopes of stealing a canceled reservation rather than taking their chances on one of the many other bustling restaurants. While it was a Friday night, Daphne still found it so odd that the streets were so busy, after all it was absolutely freezing outside and the hour was late.

Though, wait lists and reservations meant nothing to Daphne Greengrass, they never had. It only took one look from the hostess to be promised their best table, pushing back reservations of couples who had no doubt called in days or even weeks before.

"She's setting the table for us now," Daphne told Cormac, beginning to unbutton her coat. With all of the people crowded the waiting area it was beginning to get warm and the last thing she wanted was for her curls to go limp.

It was late when Daphne came home that night, realizing that the majority of her clothes were still back at her old flat hanging neatly in her oversized walk-in closet, and she had absolutely nothing to wear to the music benefit on Friday. That was not a trip she was willing to make yet, not yet ready to face Terry after moving out so quickly. Instead she took it as an opportunity to revamp her entire wardrobe. Clothes and shoes could be replaced.

New life. New clothes. New start.

Daphne balanced half of her bags on her right arm while the rest floated along behind her as she made her way down the hall towards her front door, fishing for her new set of keys in her purse. The building was quiet this time of night and she was practically skipping, feeling lighter and more free than she had in a very long time. After a lifetime of schedules and life plans (both her parents' and her own) Daphne was embracing the new direction of her life, not knowing where her personal life was going or where she'd be living this time next month, if this flat was going to become something much more permanent. This was all so far out of her comfort zone it was actually exhilarating.

Once she was inside the flat Daphne dropped her piles of bags onto the floor and pulled off her charcoal gray pea-coat (also new). There was a noise in the kitchen, most likely Cecilia pulling together a late night cup of tea to help her doze off.

Daphne headed towards the other room, deciding to put her new things away after she warmed up with a cup of hot tea herself. After all, Cecilia would most likely want to go through her latest purchases anyway.

"Oh, George-" she said, surprised to find him there rather than her blonde counterpart. "It's nice to see you."

It had been a week now since she'd moved out, leaving Terry and their decade long relationship behind, and yet that guilty feeling she had been expecting never came. Daphne felt unusually indifferent towards the whole thing, maybe even newly liberated to the road that she was paving out for herself now. Living with Cecilia was as wonderful as they both expected it to be, sitting down to dinner together and staying up giving each other mani/pedis. It was almost like they were children again spending long summer weeks at each other's manors, except now they weren't burdened by their overbearing families.

Daphne was even more relaxed at work, despite the books and portfolios spread out over her desk as she was going over color samples and linen choices for Cormac's party. It wasn't unusual for her to hand pick every detail, down to the silverware design, but she was giving this project more attention than usual. She told herself it was because the venue was so new, the idea fresh, and she wanted to display the final project photographs out in the lobby. It had absolutely nothing to do with seeing Cormac's face light up the way that it did when he first entered the venue a week ago, so impressed and excited to be throwing this party for his parents.

She had just fixed herself a fresh cup of tea, something to hold her over until she had enough time to run out for lunch, when she heard the front door open.