December 13, 1888 - Scrivenshaft’s Quill Shop, High Street

Christmas shopping was all nice and good... when people had more money. Still, Henrietta wanted to get something special for her siblings. Both those she was actually related to and those who were simply close to her. It was good to have friends that were excellent at making things. Some were childhood friends, some were former school friends. At the moment she was getting a set of new quills to give to Castor to celebrate his new job as well as the holiday. Though she was considering splitting the mixed set between him, his brother, and her brother Jacob. Not many quills for each, but it would be better for her to afford.

Entering the quill shop, she was glad that she had saved all year as she always did. This time of the year was always important to her. She faintly remembered all of those years ago when she had had her last Christmas with all of her siblings. That was the time when she had received quills from her family. A tear slipped down her cheek as she thought of her loss. What she wouldn't give to find her brother and for her family to be reunited once more. some were never to come back, and she had to live with that. But she couldn't let the mystery surrounding her brother go. And she hadn't even realized that she was blocking the door until someone else needed to go through... from outside. Shrieking from the blast of cold on her back, she turned around with wide eyes. Not really knowing what to say.

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Bree Made Magic

Always shameful when such a nice quill had been broken. Earlier that month, a gift from his mother had stopped working, maybe the enchantment wears off, or maybe it is just old. Anyways, while Richard was in Hogsmeade, he wants to buy a new quill. One for his mother, one for himself. He wants her to know how she has made his life better. What a good time the holidays were for thinking about those around you.

Richard goes to open the door, but he is instead greeted by the shriekings of a young woman. She looks very frantic, or nervous. Richard raises and eyebrow at the young woman. "Are you alright, miss?" he thought it polite to ask, as it seems that she is upset about something. Maybe, he thinks, she does not know which quill to choose. Women do have hysteria, he knows. Most he meets are very sensible and do not cry over quills. Richard wonders if it is merely the cold that bothers her.

  

Thinking about those around you was easier when you hadn't lost several close people in your life. Not having answers makes this especially difficult. Still, that didn't mean that she didn't have others in her life that were actually there. It was just that she had to remind herself of that more than ever this time of the year.

Wiping the tear quickly from her cheek upon realizing that it was there, she gave a small smile. "Apologies. The cold of the door startled me." Though it was obvious in her voice that this was only part of the truth. Had he noticed her tear? She hoped not. It seemed that most did not want to hear about a long-lost brother that has yet to have been found. Most would tell her to 'move on'. Well, it was easier said than done.

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Bree Made Magic

Richard nodded, he thinks whether or not it is rude to ask again. He does not know anyone who cries when they are hit by cold air, and he wonders if the young woman is okay, he asks her, "Do you have someone with you? Your mother? An aunt, maybe?" he pauses and then said, "Any type of chaperone? Pardon my words, but you do look rather sad."

Richard never wants to be rude. His mother has taught him right, and if she is alone, both for her reputation and his, he wants to make sure that nothing is happening. He peeks around for chaperones. At least there are other people in the store who can see that they are not alone.

  

Did she look rich? Wasn't it typically the rich girls that got fancy chaperones? It wasn't as if they were alone or in a pub. The smile grew a bit more real as she tried not to laugh at the thought of her being in a pub. She couldn't very well imagine such a thing properly. "No, chaperones are not a luxury that I can afford. And I'm shopping for Christmas, so it would be rather silly of me if I had brought my loved ones to by them their gifts." She said with a slight playfulness to her tone with the last sentence. Possibly from that mental image of her being in a pub still swimming around in her mind. What a thought. Castor and Pollux might even laugh at the very thought.

Well, she hadn't seemed to really convince him that she was fine. "I'm just... missing someone. He's been missing, and it's hard this time of year... wondering of what ever happened." She said, though her words got smaller eventually as the smile faded once more.

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Bree Made Magic

Perhaps he had the wrong first impression of the girl. Richard didn't know how chaperones worked, as he'd never had to have one, but he'd assumed that all girls had one, maybe in aunt or mother instead of random spinsters, but he didn't think they had to pay for them. Though he was wise in other ways, the way women worked was not one of them. "Well, I see." he said, on the matter, "I too, am buying something. For my mother." Richard adds, looking towards the nicer quills.

"Perhaps I could help? Do you believe it to be a kidnapping?" Richard does not often help random people, but he thinks that this is a little different. She was crying, after all. "I work with the Department of Magical Law Enforcement...you must have already tried, but perhaps we can try to find him again. Is it your husband who is missing?" Richard assumed.

  

She couldn't very well blame the man for his confusion. Henry had seen such confusion on her own brothers when it came to some things that were different for women than men. That was how it was, wasn't it? Perhaps she could bug Jacob on the matter at some point. But that was a matter for another time. "I'm sure your mother will love her gift." She stated. It wasn't always easy to find a gift. A little bit of encouragement went a long way.

Hope shined in her eyes at his statement. Was... was this really happening? "I'm not sure how you can help, but any kind of assistance would be most welcome. He disappeared, years ago. My brother, Aubrey Davis. He's not the type to go running off either. He's a respectable man, a kind one. Oh, if you could find him, it would mean the world to my family and I." Had she spoken too much? Well, it didn't matter. Someone might actually help. It had seemed for so long that she would be shrugged off by others, but now her was a law enforcement employee, telling her that he could help

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Bree Made Magic

Richard seems glad for the encouragement. He does care deeply about his mother, even if she does not always write, or if she does spend little more time with his sister. "I do hope so." He again considered the quills on the wall. Interesting how one man could be able to make an entire business out of selling the quills. But then again, Richard had started out as a butler's son, and now he was head of one of the ministry departments.

"I would be happy to help. I am Head of the Department, after all" he flashed a soft grin. He was Head of Department for at least a year, now, but it still made him feel very prideful when he thinks about it. "I would most likely want investigators on it...How long has he been gone?" Richard was switching into "work mode" where he thinks mostly logical thoughts and possible solutions to problems. He feels odd in the Quill Shop. "Have your family already spoken to anyone? It seems odd." Maybe someone had already been over it--maybe it was too hard to solve. Richard is always very filled with compassion, which was why he was a lawyer. That and he is very ambitious and wants to be in charge. He wants the best for everyone.

  

For her family members, the quills would be more of a symbolic gesture, from happier times. Even if it hadn't been the happiest of Christmas's, with their parents having been without them that year. Still, it was something that she hoped her siblings would be glad for. Perhaps she could get a couple for her sisters as well. Quills for Christmas. If she planned it right, it wouldn't be too expensive.

Head of the Department. That made her eyes widen a tad more. Wasn't that even better than last time? Last time had been only a few investigators if she recalled correctly. "Ten years. We had help for a while... but there weren't any leads. Everyone seemed to give up... even my siblings." She said, the last part a bit more to herself than him. Should she tell him of her suspicion? The family who she felt was the most likely suspects to have done anything. Perhaps. But she would wait to see if he had any more questions.

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Bree Made Magic

Richard listened. Ten years was quite a shock for him, if he thought about it. No leads was one he heard of often--and it always made him a little sad, but he knew some cases were people who wanted to apparate or ride away and leave no trace. Miss Davis, as he assumed her name was, had said that her brother was respectable and kind. And the fact that she still was thinking about the case meant that she must still care.

"Do you know where he was last seen? Or who with? Usually this records would be in the Ministry somewhere, but it can be helpful to see if anyone remembers anything, even if it is a time." Richard considered this, "And I know it may be hard to think about, but did he have any enemies?" He thought that this was the hard part. If there was a hidden life, a secret life, maybe even a criminal life, Mr. Aubrey Davis might have been killed, captured, or otherwise prevented from talking to his sister.

  

He looked shocked. Well of course he would. Ten years was so long. Too long. She had been deprived of time with her own brother for too long. Henry knew this, and her siblings knew this to. Deep down at least... she hoped. Even if he was... dead... she still needed answers. Closure. She wasn't going to get that with a mystery looming over her head her whole life.

That first question was an easy one to answer. "To my knowledge, he was last seen at the Urquart household. Not the former Minister Urquart, but the other one. The richer one, I believe. If that makes any sense." If she hadn't been saying it, it wouldn't have made much sense to her. Enemies? Well... she'd never really thought of any enemies of her brother's. He was always so kind to others, and helpful. "Um... I can't think of any enemies. Not any that he would have brought his way." She said thoughtfully. Oh, but she had been so young. Had he been trying to shield her from something? Someone? Worry was clear on her face as she came to terms with that possibility.

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Bree Made Magic

Richard's mind was working. Should he bring Miss Davis to the Ministry? Maybe they had enough on their plate, but since the young matchmaker had confessed, they had been able to focus more on the, well, everyday things. Not that he was not still worried about the consequences of putting potions in the mail, but he did think that, even with his normally busy schedule, he might be able to help the young woman.

"The Urquart household? May I ask why?" It was curious to Richard, as Miss Davis had previously described herself as without the luxury to afford a chaperone, though he didn't know how much they cost, he would say that Mr. Urquart and those unable to afford luxuries were less likely to socialize, though he privately admitted that he did not know much about the man, and knew more about the Minister. "It can be tough to bring up these memories, Miss, I understand if you want more time to think about it."

  

Going to the Ministry wasn't out of the question for Henry. Though she would have to send a letter to explain for her lack of return if it took too long. She had only meant to be away for a short time. At least all of her chores were done. She had made absolute sure of that. That was always how she was, and today was not an exception. She was certain that Pollux and Castor would understand. Missing brother having the possibility of not being missing anymore? She was sure that either of the young men would want to find each other if the other went missing.

"He was under their employ. If I remember correctly, he had shown up for his duties that day." Was she remembering correctly? She thought so. It should be on file at the Ministry, if she was correct or not. "It's fine. Feels better to actually talk to someone that might be able to help, actually." She responded, her small smile returning.

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Bree Made Magic

"Interesting." Richard thinks. He wonders if Miss Davis' brother was lost coming back home, or if he'd simply never appeared. The upper class that he knew, for the most part, did not seem to care much about keeping track of their servants, especially not the younger ones or the ones who did smaller jobs.

Perhaps it would be better if they discussed this at the Ministry. Goodness knows that he did not want to keep others from their shopping, and he did feel a bit in the way as he was in the quill store. "May I suggest that we meet again, or otherwise move our conversation? I should hate to keep you from buying your quills." he suggested politely, hoping that it would be received well.

  

Hope, though having been faded with the years, was starting to surface more and more. "I would rather that we do what we can now. Going somewhere else would be a good idea. Somewhere appropriate, of course." She said, adding the last part for both of their sakes. Goodness knows what the boys might think if some Ministry official was in their home by the time they had arrived back from their jobs. And she wouldn't want to ruin this kind man's reputation. "By the way. I'm Miss Davis. Henrietta Davis."

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Bree Made Magic

Richard nodded in agreement. "I believe that my office at the Ministry would work, or perhaps even the desks outside. It could be helpful if we found need of any investigators or other records." He also felt that it would be better if he could write things down, see them on paper and think. "Pleasure to meet you, Miss Davis. I'm Mister Richard Addle."