Charming

“He could smell her crackling white apron and the faint flavor of toast that always hung about her so deliciously."

November 14, 1892 - Three Broomsticks

Today had been a downright disaster for Zinnia: she’d woken up later than normal to find that she’d fallen asleep with a piece of charcoal near her face, leaving light black marks across her skin. She’d tried her best to scrub it off until she at least looked more flush than normal rather than like a clown with terrible makeup on – she was going to have to try harder to make sure the stayed on her desk rather than her bed where she often liked to sketch before bed; inspiration struck her at the worst possible times.

Then she’d been terribly busy at the store (more so that she tended to lose herself in work hours at a time and lost track of it until someone or something demanded her attention), nearly missing lunch until she had the tell-tale ache slowly building in her stomach that she wouldn't last long without some sort of sustenance. Though Zinnia could have eaten what she brought with her, she immediately dismissed it; a hot coffee and croissant sounded wonderful, plus it would give her a chance to stretch her legs. Just how long had she been sitting, working on that arrangement? She gathered her satchel, a pink fabric with flowers that bloomed or closed depending on the amount of light around, and made her way to the many shops nestled in Hogsmeade.

She arrived there, hungry, with an irascible frown etched across her expression. It was just late enough that the lunch crowd was scattering, leaving several empty tables near the window that looked out into the streets of Hogsmeade. Much to her chagrin, they were out of nearly everything from the ministry workers coming in for breakfast, leaving her to settle on some bread with jam. At least they had coffee.

The cashier rang her up, and Zinnia managed the tiniest of forced smiles as she rummaged through her satchel, grasping for her coin purse. It wasn’t until she flipped up the smaller flap that she felt panic begin to clench around her stomach. She usually kept her coins right here and it wasn’t right there.

Someone behind her coughed impatiently, and she felt her cheeks flush red. “I’m sorry, just one moment,” She murmured, ducking her face behind a thick blanket of her hair. Where would it be? Had she dropped it? Had someone stolen it? Or was it somewhere in the mess of her room? It wasn't as if the bag was enchanted to be larger than it was. Well shit.

With the arrival of autumn, Hogsmeade seemed to return to a more normal status quo. There had been no more mysterious murders, no more strange incidents and nothing going bump in the night— that Rhys knew of anyway and he tended to know about just about everything that went on in town. Between their constant patrol at the constabulary and the gossip he heard 'round the pubs, Rhys was generally in-the-know when it came to his village. After the plagues, fogs and other disasters that had befallen the burg since people had flocked here, Rhys was often surprised anyone chose to live here anymore, but he was thankful some people stuck it out.

The day shift was generally quiet, but Rhys had learned long ago not to take that for granted. He left Roxy snoozing on her bed behind his desk in the constabulary to take a walk around town to see what was going on. Hopefully nothing, but one never knew. The attack on the florist had been midday; Honeyduke had a troll stroll in during the afternoon and the wand shop had also exploded all during the daytime. There was rarely a dull moment, now that Rhys thought about it and that was why he always slept like shit.

He'd made it partway up the High Street when his stomach rumbled and he decided to detour to the Broomsticks for something to eat. Rhys removed his hat and ran a hand through his tousled locks before setting his sights around the pub. Fortunately the lunch crowd was mostly gone and Rhys meandered up to the bar without much of a problem, waiting to catch the barkeeper's eye to order some stew, when he heard a disgruntled noise coming from someone near the other end of the bar. A young lady looked a little flustered and the gentleman behind her looking increasingly agitated about it. Best to step in, even if it was just his looming presence that kept the man from being rude.

"Everything alright Miss?" He asked, shifting his hat from one hand to the other and eyeing the man behind her sternly.

She should have known not to leave her room when things were going as awful as they were, but it wasn’t as if she had much of a choice – she couldn’t just shirk her responsibilities in favor of lazing in bed all day, even if part of her wished she could. But arrangements had to be made and well… Zinnia enjoyed being at the shop most of the time. Now, as she rooted through her satchel before she blew out a hot breath of air from her lips, was one of those times she wished she was there and not here.

The man behind her heaved another sigh and Zinnia couldn’t help but grimace before she finally glanced up at the cashier with wide eyes; if she could transfigure something into fake coins while she looked for her coin purse she would, but she highly doubted the Three Broomsticks would enjoy that. She stole a glance at him, and the man seemed to open his mouth before another man stepped closer to her, making the first man snap his mouth shut for the time being; he was tall and she inhaled sharply as he addressed her.

Surely they weren’t about to throw her out before she’d had the chance to find her wallet, right? Zinnia blinked at him. “Oh. Well, I’m afraid I lost my coin purse.” She stole a glance toward her bag. “Lost, stolen. I’m not sure.” Her stomach rumbled to remind her that she should find it because she was hungry and it was after lunch time.

Rhys, though often a little too pessimistic for his own good, took the young lady's words at face value. There was something in her face that said she felt absolutely mortified at the prospect and truthfully that it was an honest mistake. With that decided, Rhys gave the barkeep a nod that was understood to just put it on his tab. "And I'll have the soup with some bread." Rhys settled up every week on time at the Broomsticks, there was no reason to make a big deal out of it. He wasn't exactly flush with cash, but he was pretty comfortable, given his position. Plus the owners usually took care of him.

"Why don't we step over here and we can figure out what happened. Let's start with your name," He took the young miss by her elbow gently, guiding her a few paces down the bar to a seat for her to take. "Did you have your coin purse when you left home?" His tone was as gentle as his touch. Rhys wondered if she was upset or just embarrassed. However, if she did indeed think it was missing or stolen he would have to take note and file something at the office. Nothing was going to get done until everything calmed down a little. Rhys passed another pointed look at the man who had been next in line, before looking back at the young miss again.

“Oh no, I couldn’t let you pay for me.” Zinnia already went to protest that action – she wasn’t trying to get anything from free him, although he seemed to have already made up his mind on paying for her. Well, the least she could do was owl him the money owed later on, and maybe tack on some cookies as a thank you. Or even some chocolates if she was able to swing by Honeydukes on her way out… it would be better that way, actually.

She lifted her gaze to blink at him as she wondered what kind of sweet man he was, or if he was at all; he didn’t look like he’d enjoy any kind of sweet, but what kind of person didn’t enjoy letting a piece of chocolate melt over their tongue? But then again, it was November, so maybe he’d enjoy something fall flavored? Ok, so maybe pumpkin cookies would do then. Nodding to herself then as she made up her mind, Zinnia followed him without question as he guided her to the side. She slid into the seat without questioning him, although it was then that she realized that he had asked her a question.

Then she cleared her throat. “Potts. Zinnia. Erm… Zinnia Potts, sir.” Her hands folded in her lap as she looked at him, her face suddenly getting brighter and brighter the more she found herself wrapped up in her thoughts rather than answering him. Her teeth grazed her lower lip before she found herself blinking at him again. “Well, I… I think so. It’s always right here –” She patted the side of her satchel, “But today… I don’t know if I just dropped it?” She wasn’t hysterical (yet), but she’d probably never see it, or her money, again.

“I… thank you. For your help.” Zinnia quietly added.

Rhys wasn't great when women were upset, but thankfully Miss Potts seemed to have some control of her composure. Rhys made note of her name in his notepad and a couple of other things, but had a few more questions as well. "No trouble at all. Alright then, Miss Potts, were you coming from the shop or your home?" Rhys obviously knew of the florist on the High Street, everyone in town did, but it would be much more ground to cover to look for said coin purse if it was a walk from what he assumed to be Bartonburg, instead of just up the street.

"What does it look like? Do you remember how much was in it?" If she had indeed dropped it or it was stolen, he would need to know what he was looking for and how much to ensure was still in there if the purse itself was found. "We can take a look for it after you get something to eat." He should probably start now, the longer they waited, the more likely it was not to be found, but he also supposed she wasn't entirely sure she had it to begin with either.

“Oh, the shop. Though you can say I do practically live there.” Zinnia lifted her gaze as she smiled softly at him; it was true, but she didn’t mind it. She quite liked working on the arrangements and making people happy with flowers (especially when she was able to help them send a bouquet with the exact meaning they wanted to convey) and well… if she could get away with never touching the ledgers, she would.

It was probably a good thing she didn’t… considering she couldn’t even keep her hands on her own coin purse. “It’s erm.. It’s purple. Not a deep purple, but more a lavender color like a clematis flower? And it has some generic gold flowers on it that match the brass clasp with a double kiss lock.” Zin looked up at him as she frowned. “It had everything in it. Oh, what am I going to do?” She blinked quickly as she felt herself start to tear up; she heaved a sigh as the realization washed over her, although before she could open her mouth to comment further, the food was announced at the counter. Jumping up to grab it, Zin managed to get her croissant and his soup on the table, although her elbow knocked into her drink and spilled it across the table.

It was then she began to cry.

If there was one thing Rhys was useless with, it was a crying woman. He could even sort of handle crying children, but a lady in tears had him balking and so Miss Potts' breakdown caused him to pause. Rhys made a quick note of the purse's appearance and closed up his notepad, tucking it in the breast pocket of his jacket.

Hesitating, he tried to soften his voice. "We'll find it. Perhaps some food and a moment will help." He fiddled with his hat in his hands, unsure of what else to do. Certainly, unless someone had indeed stolen it, or he supposed found it and kept it, the purse had to be somewhere between the florist and the pub. It wasn't that far of a walk and so therefore at least it was little ground to cover. Perhaps he should leave her here for a moment to go look, but he didn't want to abandon her either in such a state. All of his years as a constable and dealing with all kinds of situations, and he still had no idea how to handle a crying lady. Of all the things.

Reaching into his pocket, he pulled out his handkerchief and handed it over. "I can go look for it, if you like?" He could always come back and eat later, it wasn't really a big deal.

She felt silly crying in the middle of a pub, but once the tears started to come she couldn’t stop them. Her day hadn’t been terrible (it could always be worse she reckoned.) Nothing in Hogsmeade had blown up today, so really, in comparison, losing her wallet wasn’t the end of the world. Zinnia looked over at him and nodded. She was hungry and he was kind enough to pay for her food so she might as well not waste it.

“Thank you.” Zinnia sniffled as she took the handkerchief from him and dabbed her eyes. Mr. Gallagher looked as uncomfortable as she felt, and she wished she could apparate home without looking like an idiot. “And no, please. Have a seat. I don’t want your food to get cold and you stay hungry on my account.” She scooted over in the chair before gesturing to the seat across from her. “I’m sure if it’s still there, no one will touch it?” (Hopefully this decision wasn’t going to be the one that made her day go from bad to worse.)

Miss Potts seemed to regain some of her composure and for that Rhys was thankful. She was adamant they eat and so Rhys took a seat across from her, just in time for their meals to be delivered to them. "I'll take a walk with you as soon as we're done." Rhys could be quick to eat when it was required of him. There were often times when he had to as things at the station were far too busy for him to take his time.

"I will file a report back at the station if we don't find it." Rhys assured Miss Potts, hoping that would help soothe the possible worries. He had no idea if it was found if it would be turned in or if it was a lost cause, but he knew what he was looking for if he saw it at least.

Tucking into his food quietly, he glanced at Miss Potts, unsure of how to continue the conversation. "Perhaps you could recount your routine so far today to help?" Sometimes it helped.

Zinnia looked up at him and nodded. Retracing her steps was something she hadn’t done yet and maybe he’d be able to see something she’d miss. It’d be easier if she could just accio it… but it just wasn’t feasible. “Thank you Mr. Gallagher.” She finally replied, looking up from her meal – for paying for her meal, for taking time out of his day, his lunchtime to help her when he really didn’t have to. Appreciation didn’t even begin to describe how she felt.

Her cheeks tinged pink, and she giggled, embarrassed, ducking her head toward her meal. “It’s been a disaster, to be honest. I woke up late, we’ve been busier than normal I feel like, with everyone coming in, and I’m pretty certain if my head wasn’t attached it would have floated away by now.” Zinnia glanced up at Mr. Gallagher before she cleared her throat. “It’s been such a disaster, but I distinctly remember grabbing it before I closed for lunch.” Her lips tipped into a small smile. “I think.”

Rhys chuckled quietly as Miss Potts retraced her steps for the day. He tried to eat as quickly as he could without making it seem like he was purposefully rushing or rushing her. The sooner they left though, the more likely they were to find her coin purse. "I have those days myself," He assured her with a warm smile.

"Perhaps we can start at the shop," Just in case she had simply forgotten it. "And then go from there." If she had dropped it and it hadn't gotten picked up, they would likely see it on the way home and if not, well they could check her family shop. If it was nowhere to be found he had the description and he could file a report for her, that way if it was turned in, they could return it to her.

"Do you recall how much was in it?" That would be the important part. Unless the purse held some sort of personal significance, then perhaps that would be all that mattered.

Mr. Gallagher had a warm smile, one that reached his eyes. She easily returned it, and mirrored him in eating her food quickly while hoping she at least remained ladylike. Mum might kill her if she ate like a pig in public. Then Zin nodded. Starting at the shop sounded like a good idea, and they’d have to retrace all her steps until she’d gotten here. Hopefully a good citizen would have left it where it was.

“Yes, thank you. That sounds like a great plan.” Wasn’t sure why she didn’t think of that before, but it turned out that Mr. Gallagher was turning out to be her knight in shining armor tonight. Standing up, Zinnia tapped her finger against her lip. “A few sickles to buy lunch, but not too much.” Of course it would be missed because well, it was money after all, but it wasn’t going to make her break her. She smiled again at him and turned to walk out the door to begin retracing her steps back toward the shop.

“Thank you again.” Zinnia murmured as she turned toward him with a small smile.

With a solid plan, Rhys gathered his things, moving to hold the door for Miss Potts as they moved to start retracing her steps. He put his hat back on as soon as he stepped outside, so accustomed to the habit now that he didn't even think about it. "It's no trouble at all." He assured Miss Potts with what he hoped was a reassuring smile. "Lead the way." He motioned for her to take the lead, happy to trail along and keep an eye out for her coin purse as they went.

Zinnia Gallagher

Rhys Gallagher

Zinnia Gallagher

Rhys Gallagher

Zinnia Gallagher

Rhys Gallagher

Zinnia Gallagher

Rhys Gallagher

Zinnia Gallagher

Rhys Gallagher

Zinnia Gallagher

Rhys Gallagher

Zinnia Gallagher

Rhys Gallagher