April 22, 1888 — magical dock on the Thames in London
Set during the departure of the Ophelia and Voyager

Some I have known have a ship
Where they sleep with sounds of rocks on the coast
They sail over oceans five fathoms deep
But can't find what they want the most
— Home by Vanessa Carlton
Bella really had no interest in ships or expeditions or anything of that nature; she'd grown up reading fairy tales filled with princesses, knights in shining armour, and kingdoms far away, not pirates and adventures. Still, there was something magical about watching two large ships sail off into the unknown, and it was a different sort of magical than the world she lived in. It was sort of representative, she thought, of her current place in the world: breaking out of her shell and becoming her own person, even if that person wasn't one society approved of. It was scary, and where she would end up was definitely unknown to her, but that didn't stop her from moving forward. Just like Captain Darrow's ships, really.

She was there without a chaperon, which wasn't anything surprising; being alone on the streets was a staple of her reputation, and being seen without one from now forward would likely have little impact on anything. Merlin, if anyone saw her with a chaperon they'd probably assume something important was happening!

At least she was alone in that spot, until footsteps approached from behind.

It was a gentleman, and one that looked both familiar and unfamiliar. She'd seen him somewhere, but she was almost positive she'd never met him. She cocked a single brow at him, almost if asking why he was entering her personal bubble.

Arthur Pettigrew

  

---

— MJ is MAGICAL —

Arthur was here, because, well, it wasn't like he had anything better to do than watch a boat disappear over the horizon all morning. Before the Quidditch season started, he had a lot more free time than he was really comfortable with.

He saw the girl rather on accident, and approached at the casual saunter that he used for rich people. Before he could greet her, she raised an eyebrow at him, and Arthur shrugged his shoulders. "So you're the girl," he said, "Well, not the girl. You're the Ireland girl." He quirked his eyebrow back at her. She'd get it, he thought.

---

  

Bella immediately came to the conclusion that while she didn't know who he was, he definitely knew who she was. While that may not have seemed all that unusual (she had, on more then one occasion, been plastered across the front of the tabloids), his words suggested that he knew more of her than Witch Weekly had to offer. Her eyes went wide in both fear and surprise — she hoped to the Lord above that he was not some random stranger who picked up gossip from a passerby.

First step: denial.

"I-I have no idea what you're talking about. I live in England," she tried pathetically.

  

---

— MJ is MAGICAL —

Arthur rolled his eyes. He wished they could skip to the part where they talked frankly and he tried to get to know her, but it seemed like she was going to be difficult about it.

"Alright, here's what I'm talking about: Ben Crouch invited you to go with him to Ireland, et cetera," he whispered to her. And in a normal voice: "Unless I'm missing a step or two there. I can go through the other ones if you want. I figured you wouldn't, though."

---

The following 1 user Likes Arthur Pettigrew's post:1 user Likes Arthur Pettigrew's post
   Reuben Crouch

Bella was not aware that Ben Crouch had told anyone of their adventure in the Irish pub, especially a gentleman Bella couldn't identify by voice or sight. It would have been less alarming — well, not alarming at all because she wouldn't know — if he'd told someone who planned on keeping it to himself, but this gentleman was confronting her!

She opened her mouth to deny it, but she couldn't figure out the words to combat his argument. She still wasn't really sure if Ben was the source of his knowledge, but judging on his words, she concluded that it likely was. He'd never seemed like the most responsible man in the world, but she didn't expect him to be such a blabbering one! Even she hadn't revealed the events of that night with anyone, and she was the biggest loud-mouth in magical Britain!

"Why are you telling me this?" she asked suspiciously, wondering if he had a purpose for this confrontation or if he was simply there to make her feel bad about herself.

  

---

— MJ is MAGICAL —

"I'm the self-appointed guardian of Ben's physical and emotional well-being," Arthur said mildly, "Which is lucky for you, at least at this time."

---

The following 3 users Like Arthur Pettigrew's post:3 users Like Arthur Pettigrew's post
   Bella Scrimgeour, Odira Keene, Ophelia Devine

Bella's brows shot up on her forehead and she stared at the taller, but otherwise completely average-looking gentleman who she assumed was probably a friend who took way too much of an interest in Ben's romantic (for lack of a better term) endeavors. Still, he had way too much knowledge of her situation for someone whose name she didn't even know.

"I doubt I'm much of a threat to his physical or emotional well-being. I'm just- just Bella," she offered in response. Was he here to introduce himself? Offer the oh-so-frightening warning of "I'm watching you"?

"So wait — who are you, anyways?" she asked accusingly.

The following 1 user Likes Bella Scrimgeour's post:1 user Likes Bella Scrimgeour's post
   Ophelia Devine

---

— MJ is MAGICAL —

"Oh, I don't get that very often!" Art said, visibly delighted at the novelty of not being recognized. It really was a rarity for him, between the Quidditch thing and the notorious disgrace thing.

"I'm Arthur Pettigrew," Art said cheerfully, "Although for your purposes, I may as well be the Ghost of Christmas Future."

---

The following 1 user Likes Arthur Pettigrew's post:1 user Likes Arthur Pettigrew's post
   Ophelia Devine

"You're Arthur Pettigrew? I imagined someone more..." She immediately shut her mouth, realizing the words about to leave it could be taken as an insult rather than a general observation, especially to the man himself. She knew who Arthur Pettigrew was — the captain of the Hogsmeade Howlers, of course! — but beyond that, her knowledge of the details of his situation were nonexistent. (Though apparently he was a friend of Ben's.)

"And what do you mean by that?" she sassed, her hands moving to her hips. "I'm sure Ben can handle himself. He didn't seem that- well, I suppose- never mind. You have no business in my business, though!"

  

---

— MJ is MAGICAL —

"I said to you I'm the ghost, not to Ben," Art said mildly, impervious to most levels of sass, "And what I mean is that if you keep doing what you're doing, you're going to get kicked out of your family, fired, destitute, and/or.... et cetera." He knew exactly what would happen, and the things that he was saying really ought not to be a surprise - but if she went to Ireland with Ben, she was probably lacking common sense.

---

The following 1 user Likes Arthur Pettigrew's post:1 user Likes Arthur Pettigrew's post
   Ophelia Devine

Bella arguably did lack common sense, but there were more reasons for that than her tryst with Reuben Crouch. Besides, it wasn't like society expected that much of her at this point... right?

(Arthur Pettigrew seemed to, but she doubted his opinion was comparable to the stuffy socialites who had written her off by the time she began interning at St. Mungo's.)

"I can tell you that at least one of those things will happen anyways, Ben or no Ben," she said with a tone of self-deprication. "Nevertheless, I don't see why you feel the need to concern yourself with me. I'm nothing to you."

  

---

— MJ is MAGICAL —

Oh, shit, she was expecting to be disowned sooner or later?

Arthur started laughing. It was a full-body guffaw-type laugh and he reached up to wipe his eyes before he looked back at her and laughed some more. She was just so... blase about it. It was actually very much how he talked about losing all of his money right before it happened.

"Consider it a service," Art said, "It's all fun and games until shit goes south for the people you love, Miss Scrimgeour."

---

  

He was laughing. A scowl spread across her face, assuming he was laughing at her for whatever reason. People had laughed at her before — her father when she'd first proposed the idea of going to work at St. Mungo's, some of her relatives when she'd made wacky assumptions about upper-class life as a youth. Snobby people were notoriously unfriendly to her (even before they had reason to be). It was only when he stopped laughing that she realized he didn't sound so unfriendly and allowed her expression to relax.

"I'm not sure there are many of those, Mr. Pettigrew. And the people I do love will hardly be associated with my downfall, thank you very much," she said with the haughtiest tone she could muster, but the subtle upturn of her lips betrayed her. "Anyways, if what you say does happen, you can be the first to say you told me so."

  

---

— MJ is MAGICAL —

Arthur snorted. After almost three decades of being related to the Lestranges, haughty tones didn't work on him.

"Good luck with that then, Irish," he said, finally settling on his nickname for her as soon as he said it. "Just leave my friends out of it and you'll never see me again."

---

The following 1 user Likes Arthur Pettigrew's post:1 user Likes Arthur Pettigrew's post
   Bella Scrimgeour