October 12th, 1894 - Harvest Festival

Sage always thought the Harvest Festival put on by the Plunketts was one of the best events of the year. There was always so much to do and eat. There were always such delectable treats and the pies, she dreamt about the pies that Mrs. Plunkett made and she'd been saving some of her spare coins to buy a whole apple crumble for herself. There would be no sharing. Well maybe. Probably not.

After spending the beautiful, if overcast weather, Sage was ready to get her crumble and head home. She had made a little crown of wildflowers, tried and failed to bob for hovering apples much to her chagrin. She hadn't even been able to get one! Her height should have been an advantage, but she certainly hadn't been able to monopolize on it. After a debate between the corn maze and the guided nature walk, Sage had decided she was too tired for either, and would much prefer heading home with her prize for a snack and a nap before she had to go into the hospital tonight.

The line wasn't too long either, and the mouthwatering aromas of the baked goods solidified her contentment with her decision. Just a few more people to go and she could go home completely satisfied. Except when she got to the front of the line, there was no apple crumble left. Sighing heavily, she was informed the last one was just sold. Torn between chasing the person down and maybe crying, she slumped her shoulders in defeat. "I'll take the peach cobbler instead," she supposed her second favorite would do, even if it was a little disappointing.

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Miss Potts was quite enjoying the harvest festival; with her young charge at school and her on a retainer, it gave her time to relax a little, perhaps even put a little effort into finding someone who might choose to marry her. The day had been pleasant; she had played some games, bought a few unnecessary nicks nacks and made a corn dolly to take home with her. The last thing she needed for the day was some kind of dessert. Mr Valenduris was partial to a fresh apple pie, and seeing as she was here anyway, it only made sense for the governess to return with something delicious.

There was a younger lady in front of Thea; she had not spoken to her in several years but recognised her as a fellow Hufflepuff from the year below if her memory served her right. She heard the other member of staff member speak to her as she arrived at the counter and saw the woman appear visibly defeated. "No apple cobbler? I feel your pain, Miss Whitby." she said cheerily to the blonde. "May I have a fresh apple pie, and I'll take some of the peach cobbler too? It smells wonderful." one for home, one as a warming treat for herself right now.

"Would you care for some company?" she said to Sage. "How long has it been?" Thea's smile was warm and she hoped that she might bring some brightness to the other woman.

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Sage Whitby (Daffodil Grimstone)

  

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Sage had come to terms with her loss, thinking that at least the white wine she had at home would pair nicely with the peaches. It was a small consolation, but at least there was something to look forward to when she returned home. Perhaps she would stop and get a cocoa from the Honeyduke's booth to help boost her mood, and her warmth.

At the sound of her name, Sage turned to find a face that was only somewhat familiar to her. The other woman might have been a few years ahead of her in the same house, probably closer to Tess in age; she could not recall the other woman's name. "Oh," the invitation was not unwelcome, but Sage rather thought she would be poor company. "I was about to head home," she answered truthfully. "In defeat of missing out on my favorite annual treat." Her smile turned rueful, not wanting to ruin anyone else's festive mood.

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She nodded and gave a sympathetic face to the other woman, something told her that this wasn't necessarily about the desert, her disappointment might be tied to something else and this was just the proverbial straw. "It really is a shame, magically created just doesn't have the same feeling as a freshly made pie does it?" She shrugged and put away her purse and inspected the packing of her goods.

"Shall we walk a little, I fear for the gentleman who seems to have your pie right now." she joked "How has time treated you since we both left school, I assume all is well?" She raised an eyebrow that offered a friendly ear to chew on if she wanted it. Dorothea liked to hear others' problems, potentially to offer suggestions.

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Sage Whitby Daffodil Grimstone

  

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It seemed as though the woman was just trying to be kind and Sage didn't have the heart to dissuade her from taking the same path. Thoughts of trying to secure the apple crumble from the man who had bought the last one had crossed her mind, but Sage was not quite so petty as to try and steal it somehow. The peach would do. She could only shrug at the comment about the homemade aspect, "I think Mrs. Plunkett is the magic." Something about hers was always better. Maybe if Sage found enough time this week she could try the provisions in town, maybe they would have the seasonal treat in the store and she would get lucky then.

In an effort to be polite, though Sage still could not recall the other woman's name, she had to hold back the real answer, pretending that time in her life did not exist. How exactly did one tell an acquaintance from school that there was a baby out of wedlock in the true story? Oh, that's right, you did not. "After my OWLs I joined the hospital as a mediwitch and I've been doing it ever since." Minus that short blip of the last half of her pregnancy. "It has been most rewarding." At least that part was true. Sage loved her job more than she ought to. It brought her a sense of purpose she hadn't known she'd needed until she started. "And yourself?" Sage eyed the Honeyduke's booth and dismissed her earlier thoughts of cocoa; that she could get any time in town.

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Thea smiled "Oh how lovely, I can see why it must be so rewarding working at the hospital." she replied genuinely, although it seemed like a lot of hard work and it must be quite harrowing sometimes when disaster struck.

She nodded "I've been working as a governess for a few years now, I love it. It's a bit quiet at the moment though as she is in Hogwarts." she smiled and shrugged, she should enjoy being a lady of leisure whilst on her retainer, but it did sometimes make her feel like a bit of a spare wheel and there was always the looming risk that her employer might realise they didn't need her around for months at a time. The brunette noted her aquintance was looking at the honeydukes stand. "Shall we buy some sweet? I'll need something to follow this pie after all." she laughed aloud.

If they went to the stall Dorothea would make sure to order her favourites and also a small bag of treats to take back to the Valenduris family for the evening. The "Thank you, Miss Potts" from the assistant that had met the governess on more than several occasions might finally enlighten Sage as to who she was talking.

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Sage Whitby

  

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Sage couldn't imagine doing anything else with her life. She'd been afforded more education than Tess and she was not about to waste it. It was meaningful to her and she doubted she would ever be without work, so it was a comfort knowing the income was steady. It was part of the reason that she had given up her daughter; Sage knew working with an infant at home would have been impossible and the last thing Sage wanted to be was a burden. Being home hiding the second half of the pregnancy had been bad enough. They needed her steady income and it had been a struggle.

"Oh that must also be rewarding." She was sure she wouldn't have the patience for other people's children, but some people must have been good at it. Sage did find it odd that the woman was working with a child that was at Hogwarts, but had never really claimed to know how all of that worked. Still, teaching in some capacity would certainly fulfill one's sense of purpose.

Nearly blushing at being caught looking at the sweets stand, Sage shook her head, but smiled. "No, I had considered some cocoa, but I think this will be enough." She held up the pie for evidence. She really oughtn't spend any more today either. Saving up the money for the pie itself had her scrimping on some of her normal spending habits, no need to go over the budget.

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Dorothea's face brightened, she loved her work and the family she worked for whilst demanding at times and cut very much from the upper-class crust was a good family to work for. "Oh yeah, very much so, Miss Hyacinth is blind which adds additional challenges for the girl but to help her thrive has been the high point in my career so far." She loved helping her with all sorts of tasks and even whilst on her term time retainer she was still regularly called in for little bits of extra support for the girl.

Thea blushed a little as she suddenly felt quite greedy filling her bags with unnecessary treats when what she had purchased already was more than enough. "You are probably right, I'm too close to being a confirmed spinster to be overeating." She laughed this time a little more ironically, she could try to convince herself she wasn't already a spinster but her love of her job had made her so reluctant to rush out and get a husband that she might have missed her opportunity entirely. She flicked her head as if clearing her head of the need to feel sorry for herself. "If you know of any eligible men who wouldn't mind a woman whose horse has gone through a few extra shoes you'll have to let me know." her cheeks raised, putting herself quickly back into the light mood she typically carried about.

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Sage Whitby Daffodil Grimstone

  

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Well, that answered her questions about continuing the education after the child had started Hogwarts. It must have certainly posed some challenges, to work with the young lady who was blind, but that much more rewarding after all. "That's wonderful." It really was.

Sage flushed at the woman's next comments. "Oh, I—" it hadn't been what she'd meant at all. She was not the one to shy away from treats, they just weren't always in the budget. Her curves were remnants from the pregnancy, but she'd always been on the healthy side of voluptuous before. "I don't have the money for anything else, was all I meant." She said sheepishly. Sage was rarely embarrassed by her financial situation, there were others out there who were doing far worse than she was, but she didn't like to discuss it much either.

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Thea blushed again at the misunderstanding and for a little flick of guilt at making the other woman have to explain herself. Nobody enjoyed admitting that the moths had sprung clear out of the purse so she would say no more about that.

"Perhaps you might come for tea some time? I shall speak to my cousin next time I see her and make sure I have a tin of Honeyduke's finest cocao to warm our souls with and while away a cold wintery evening." just the thought of that made her blood feel a little warmer.

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Sage Whitby Daffodil Grimstone

  

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The invitation for tea, or cocoa, rather, caught Sage off guard, but she smiled anyway. She was often sleeping during tea time, gearing up for a night shift, but maybe it could be figured out. The woman had been pleasant company. "That sounds lovely." Perhaps with a letter, Sage would figure out just who she was. She felt bad about it, but she still couldn't remember.

They had reached closer to the edge of the farm and Sage was going to make the walk back into town to enjoy her peach cobbler. "It was nice to see you." Sage waved as she started up the path towards the town proper.

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