March 18th, 1888 — Hogwarts Staff Room

Having spent the morning in the village—more specifically, the Celtic street fair being held in the village’s Padmore Park—Nik had now returned to the castle, where he sat in the school’s faculty lounge in the hour before dinner reading that day’s Evening Prophet. He had, perhaps, had a bit more of the ale than he might have liked—a vodka man himself, he found the more common beverage to be, well, common—and a faint headache was beginning to bloom.

Nikolai looked up from the article he was skimming about the wedding of some socialite’s daughter—society pages, how dull!—when the door opened to admit and shut behind one of his colleagues.

“You know,” he offered conversationally, “if my wife were to die abruptly, I quite think I’d marry Mrs. Bennett soon thereafter.”

As the words left his treacherous tongue, Nik’s eyes widened in horror as he realized what he had done.

Open to one-two members of the Hogwarts staff

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   Declan Wood, Holly Scrimgeour, Ophelia Devine, Seneca Lestrange

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— set by soph! —

After a morning spent at the street market Connie was more than ready for the warmth of the staff room. The unseasonably freezing March had not made the visit an especially pleasant diversion but she had needed to get out of the castle and breath some different air and beggar's could not be choosers when it came to entertainment. At least Barrett had been similarly unimpressed and they had been able to sulk together as Cora insisted on buying them each a set of pan pipes in the hope they would cheer up.

It hadn't worked. Connie had shown willing and blown a few notes but it didn't seem to make much difference, other than gaining her a tiny shadow in the form of a small black and white cat that had been brushing against her ankles for the last few hours and mewling up at her plaintively until she paid it attention. Beguilingly it had followed her back to the castle, not to be deterred when she scurried across the courtyard to dodge the rain, practically tripping her up as she sought sanctuary in the staff room and jumping onto her lap the moment she sat and sighed out a breath of relief at finally being warm.

She hadn't expected the Professor to speak at all, let alone to her, but when he did her fingers ceased their scratching of her new friend's ear and she slowly turned her gaze towards the man, trying to keep the shock from her features.

had she have also partaken of the ale Connie would have commended him on his choice

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   Aldous Crouch, Cassius Lestrange

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MJ made me beautiful

Nik cleared his throat uncomfortably.

That he and Rose had kept their relationship a secret for more than a year was nothing short of a miracle—thus far, only his Eva was aware of their illicit romance, and she only because she had stumbled upon them in a…compromising situation. This secret was kept both because neither were suspect in terms of their morals, and because both were careful. For Merlin’s sake, Nikolai had been an auror!

This made it all the more unbelievable that he would have allowed something so damning to slip, and to one known to him only as an acquaintance. Miss Sykes had, mercifully, not said anything. Perhaps she hadn’t heard?

“Did you hear me?” he asked like the fool he had plainly become, and the Russian wished ardently he might remove his own tongue.

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— set by soph! —

It may well have been the case that Connie had not consumed even the slightest drop of anything that would have compelled her to speak the truth but she found there was still no way of telling this particular lie and sounding convincing. The Professor had spoken to an empty room in a clear voice and unless she claimed early onset deafness there was nothing to do but answer as evasively as she could.

"I did...I was just contemplating what a fine choice Mrs Bennett would be for any man."

Or woman, but that particular thought would never pass her lips as long as she had control of them and so it lived and died in her head alone.

  

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MJ made me beautiful

He had made her uncomfortable. He was uncomfortable. Like a raving lunatic, he had informed one of the other matrons that I would marry her Ravenclaw counterpart without question, were he in a position to do so. What was wrong with him?!

He was about to ask that very question, but finally had the presence of mind to steady his tongue—for the moment. This did not, however, prevent him from staring rather intensely at Miss Sykes as though trying to will the memory of their conversation to leave her entirely.

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— set by soph! —

Connie was not a woman overly prone to living on her nerves. Between staring down teenagers on a day-to-day basis and spending the vast majority of her adult life hiding her true nature she was not easily put on edge. Still she was not above admitting to feeling a little bit intimidated by the cool, piercing eyes gazing intensely at her. The man had been an auror and while he had always seemed personable enough to Connie his standing on the staff was considerably greater than hers. But what should she say? Nothing? Let the silence linger and hope he didn’t obliviate her…perhaps that wouldn’t be too awful.

Turning her attention back to the cat in her lap Connie reached out and took up the nearest copy of the Daily Prophet, feigning deep interest.

“Of course I may have misheard you, the street fair was rather loud and my ears have not entirely recovered.”

  

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MJ made me beautiful

She was giving him an out, a beautiful, much-needed out. All Nikolai had to do was take it, allow that she must have done just that, and allow a few days for the awkwardness to subside. So simple, so easy. A blessing.

And yet, for some inexplicable reason, he found himself instead reporting, "No, Miss Sykes, I do not believe you did."

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— set by soph! —

Was the man mad? She stared at him, quite unable to believe that he was pressing the point when she had tried to make it easy to evade and she felt a strange mixture of apprehension and annoyance come upon her. What was wrong with him that he couldn’t take the hint?!

“Well…” She smiled tightly, riddled with awkwardness and trying desperately to keep her voice light. “I suppose she already lives in your house.”

  

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MJ made me beautiful

“She does,” he agreed, grinning like a fool. “It’s wonderful to have her—I confess, I’m quite pleased that her house burned to a crisp!”

Idiot.

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— set by soph! —

Instinctively Connie smiled back, though it was tinged with a mania that came only from not having the faintest idea what was going on. There was no question in her mind that he was telling the truth – she would have struggled to conceive of a person that wouldn’t want to bed Rose – but why on earth was he telling it to her!?

“She must be a fine companion for your wife,” she replied awkwardly.

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   Nikolai Sleptov

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MJ made me beautiful

His poor, ignorant wife.

Nikolai froze for a moment, before realizing with relief that he at least had not said that aloud. The wizard smiled and nodded in agreement, a close-lipped smile as if to stop any other wayward words from making their bid for freedom.

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— set by soph! —

His silence did not amount to much of a response but it did give her the opportunity to slip away. Pushing the cat gently from her lap Connie was half way to the door when she hesitated, turning back, thinking of Rose as she contemplated how much an entanglement could ruin both of her colleagues.

“I do hope they get along,” she said awkwardly, the cat on her heels, all but running from the room.

She had to speak to Rose.

  

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MJ made me beautiful