October 15th, 1893 - Hogsmeade Constabulary
@"Zinnia Potts"

I ain't gonna say I never do this, 'cause truth is
Lonely makes a heart ruthless

Rhys was in the back room, going through old evidence. Normally he would make Dorset or Woodcroft go through and clear out anything too old to be of any use, but he was feeling antsy today and thought the physicality of moving things around would help him focus. Whatever it was that had him feeling anxious better go away soon, he wasn't used to being all out of sorts for no discernable reason.

He had already unloaded a few boxes into his own office to get rid of, once there was another run through of the contents, but he felt somewhat better the more he moved around. He'd shed his uniform jacket and had his sleeves rolled up, sifting through a few more boxes. A knock at the door and the announcement of a visitor had him pulling one last box from 1888 with him back into his office.

The box was set down on his desk with a thud, dust and some sweet aroma filling the air as he found Miss Potts in the doorway. "Afternoon Miss Zinnia, what can I do for you?" He said as he ran a hand through his already tousled hair, feeling flushed from the work in the back room.

---

  

---

It went without saying that Zinnia would lose her head if it wasn’t attached. It wasn’t that she was forgetful, it was just that she often lost track of time when she concentrated on something until something jarrying snapped her out of her thoughts, and today it had been the sound of one of the pumpkins she had and Millie had spent hours carving into perfection for the Halloween decorating contest smashing onto the ground. It had taken her a moment to place the sound, and it wasn’t until she heard it for a third or fourth time did she finally get up to poke her head outside, only to see it wasn’t just her pumpkin smashed, but some of the neighboring ones as well.

Zin wasn’t one to run and report everything that happened, Mr. Gallagher and his constables were much too busy for that, but she had an inkling it would keep happening if she didn’t inform an officer. So off she went to the Constabulary where she requested to speak to someone, just to be instructed that Mr. Gallagher was in his office. Zinnia gently wrapped her knuckles against the door to get his attention, smiling softly once he turned toward her.

Merlin, his eyes were a lovely shade of blue. She breathed in deeply, mouth opening to say something, but nothing came out outside of a small squeak. Zinnia let her gaze longer on him for a moment until she blushed, pretending to tuck a strand of hair behind her ear as she averted her eyes to stare at the floor. What was wrong with her? “Good afternoon.” It took Zin another moment to look up. “I… Well, I’m not sure. Something about someone smashing pumpkins?”

---

  

---

Bee made me something beautiful<3

Rhys stared for a moment, catching the blush and the stumbling and wondering why he'd never noticed how endearing it was before? Making his way around his desk through the cloud of dust that had shot from the box when he set it down. "Who's smashing pumpkins? Are you hurt?" He asked immediately, brows furrowing in concern. She didn't look hurt, but he worried it was something else he couldn't see.

He'd started to reach out, but caught himself, wondering just what in the name of Merlin's beard he was doing. He looked around for a moment, wondering if he should get his jacket so he could immediately see to her needs, but hesitated, waiting to see what it was she needed first. Why was his brain such a jumbled mess? Had he inhaled too much dust in the stacks?

---

  

---

Mr. Gallagher was coming closer to her, but all Zinnia could do was stay where she was, feet rooted to the ground as she watched his movement. He strutted with what she’d deem confidence, although his face seemed etched with worry. It took Zin a moment to realize that he’d spoken to her and she quickly shook her head before realizing that using her words was probably her best option to convey what was happening.

“No, no. I’m okay.” She quietly assured him, taking a step forward just as he started to reach out. Zinnia blinked again at him, lips parting enough that she inhaled a bit more of the sweet scent filling the air. It smelled really good, like flowers she couldn’t place or see. Blue eyes turned back toward the man as she cleared her throat, focusing on what she’d come here to tell him in the first place. “Someone is just ruining all the Halloween pumpkins.” The words she was saying didn’t really seem to matter to Zinnia anymore, not as she stepped forward to stand in front of him.

---

  

---

Bee made me something beautiful<3

Relieved she was unharmed, Rhys turned to reach for his jacket. She seemed a little jarred however, and he hesitated on what to do. "Do you want me to come take a look?" Surely that was what she'd come for, right? They weren't standing too far apart now and all he could smell was something light and floral, sweet and sultry, and it was fogging his brain. He vaguely heard his secretary say she was leaving for the afternoon and he replied in kind, but was still to focused on Miss Zinnia to really register it.

"Do you need to sit for a moment?" Something was off, either it was him or her, or both but he thought he ought to take a moment. He laid his jacket on his desk, shifting that big box to the floor with another cloud of dust. He guided her to one of the chairs in front of the desk and poured some water from the pitcher on the bookshelf, handing her the glass.

Rhys sat in the chair beside her, perched on the edge, leaning toward her, very much keeping an eye on her expression and wellbeing.

---

  

---

Did she want him to come take a look? Zinnia parted her lips because she did want him to come, but not to look at the damage. She just wanted to have him by her side so she might curl against him, use him to shield herself from the cold… preferably under the jacket that he kept making a grab for. That thought was jarring and Zin didn’t understand where it had come from. She parted her lips again before she shook her head no, he didn’t need to come look because for whatever reason, she wanted to stay right here. He was almost right in front of her and that’s where she wanted Mr Gallagher to remain. Somewhere she recognized that his secretary left and they were alone. The thought made her heart flutter into her throat.

She nodded then, moving to sit on the chair as he guided her, walking through a cloud of dust that smelled oddly of smoke and something nutty. Turning bright blue eyes toward the man in hopes he might comment on it too, she found him pouring her water instead as she sunk into the chair, keeping herself seated on the edge of it. Zinnia let their fingers touch as Mr. Gallagher handed her the glass, quietly thanking him for it.

Things seemed odd between them; she’d interacted with the man before just fine, but for whatever she seemed more scatterbrained than normal. He sat beside her, and as he leaned forward, she caught that nutty scent again; before she could stop herself, Zinnia was rising to her feet and stepping to stand in front of him. He was looking at her and Zin was enjoying the attention from him. (She chalked it up to being still caught up in Dahlia’s wedding and wishing she’d meet her own Prince Charming.)

There she blinked owlishly at him before lowering herself onto his lap, perching on the edge of his knees. “Are you feeling alright, Mr. Gallagher?” Zin asked quietly, curling her hands into her lap. Her head felt fuzzy but she felt like she couldn’t resist.

---

The following 1 user Likes Zinnia Gallagher's post:1 user Likes Zinnia Gallagher's post
   Rhys Gallagher

---

Bee made me something beautiful<3

It was impossible to miss the look that crossed Miss Zinnia's face as he couldn't keep his eyes from her. Harder still as she stood before him and situated herself on his lap. Rhys' eyes darted toward the door now, though he knew the secretary had left and the shades on his window were drawn, something about this felt very, very off.

His grip tightened on the arms of the chair, determined as he was to keep them there, it was proving harder and harder. He finally determined that heavenly scent was coming from her; must have been her perfume. "I think so," Rhys admitted slowly, swallowing and trying to lean back in the chair. The perfume, the contact, it was a little intoxicating. "Are you sure you're alright, Miss Zinnia?" Something was off. This was far too much and somehow wrong, even if he felt his heartbeat betraying him.

He was far too aware of her every movement, the blue of her eyes, the fall of her hair. Without thinking, he moved one hand to her knee, and then was suddenly focused on the feeling of the fabric of her dress beneath his palm. Rhys chanced a glace up at her beautiful face again and sucked in a breath.

---

  

---

It was like an out of body experience feeling herself react like she was, but Zinnia couldn’t help herself from settling onto his lap and turning to stare into those deep pools of blue. Merlin they were pretty, and she wished her mouth would work so she could tell him as such. But he leaned away from her, which caused Zin to frown slightly, especially as she realized the delicious smokey nut smell was coming from him. Normally she wouldn’t be caught dead sitting in a man’s lap, she wouldn’t dare do something like this to someone she hardly knew, let alone someone she wasn’t courting, but something was telling her this was exactly where she wanted to be. “I’m not sure… I feel different?” It was hard to explain to Mr. Gallagher exactly how she was feeling, and Zinnia briefly wondered if she should show him… although how she went about that, well, the witch wasn’t so sure.

As he touched her knee, a shiver ran down her space, and her heart thumped inside her chest so hard she thought it was going to burst from her chest. Zinnia sipped at the water to calm her nerves before she deposited it on the desk. She suddenly felt warm beneath his touch, and Zin turned her eyes to meet his, and in that moment time seemed to stand still as she lost herself in the depths of his gaze. Then she couldn’t help but lean in toward him, her body drawn to his like a moth to a flame. Zin's eyes flicked from his eyes to his lips.

And then kissed him, soft and chaste, quite unsure what she was doing. Whatever she was thinking (which was nothing at this point, Zinnia let her desire roll over her instincts that this was entirely wrong), went right out the window.

---

The following 1 user Likes Zinnia Gallagher's post:1 user Likes Zinnia Gallagher's post
   Cassius Lestrange

---

Bee made me something beautiful<3

Different was one way to define it. Rhys wasn't sure if it was a good feeling or a bad one or if he was just so far out of his depth that he was stunned into paralysis.

He thought maybe she was coming to her senses, taking a sip of the water and realizing they were playing with fire. Rhys knew it, he just wasn't sure he could do anything about it. He was quite stuck, physically, but emotionally he was bouncing off the walls and it was an unfamiliar sensation.

It was impossible to miss her expression, the intensity and the glance downward. Rhys hardly had time to react as she leaned in and pressed her lips to his. Something in him cracked a little bit and he knew he should lean back, but instead leaned in, his other hand coming to rest on the back of her neck, holding her there. She'd started this and for some reason he was willing to test the limits. Rhys never tested limits, but right now he wasn't even sure where they were.

It had been a while, a long while, since Rhys had been this close to a woman, but the instincts were still there and he tangled his fingers gently in her hair, upping the intensity of the kiss just a little, just to see what she would do.

---

  

---

Zinnia had only kissed someone once before, and it’d only been for a few seconds; he’d done it out of nowhere sometime during their last year at Hogwarts and back then she hadn’t wanted it, she’d cried right after thinking she was ruined, but right now… there wasn’t a thing in this world Zinnia could think of that she wanted more. His lips were soft and chapped, and felt absolutely perfect against hers. The thought made her sigh into him, making her lean toward him; Zin might feel off kilter, but every part of her wanted whatever was happening.

Her hand came up to rest against his cheek, and she shivered under his touch as fingers curled into her hair. Shifting in his lap to get a better angle, Zin let the tips of his fingers brush against his skin before she mimicked him, letting her hand curl around the nape of his neck. She pulled him closer and kissed him like her life depended on it. Should have kissed a few more boys while she was at Hogwarts for a little more practice, but in the back of her mind, Zin surmised it just meant she’d have to kiss him a lot more to get better at it.

---

The following 1 user Likes Zinnia Gallagher's post:1 user Likes Zinnia Gallagher's post
   Daffodil Grimstone

---

Bee made me something beautiful<3

Rhys knew this was very, very wrong. They were in his office, any one of his subordinates could walk in at any moment. He should really close the door. No, he should really send Miss Zinnia home and take a cold, cold bath. He was far too old for her, below her station, not to mention there was nothing proper about their current situation, but as she shifted against him, soft hands on his skin, Rhys very suddenly stopped caring about everything he knew was wrong.

It had been a long time since he'd felt that ripple of desire over his skin and he had no idea where this was coming from, or why he couldn't stop. But he couldn't; it felt humanly impossible, indecent, to stop now when she was very clearly initiating the contact. How was he to resist?

The hand on her leg tightened in the fabric of her skirt, an effort to keep it from wandering as it had already started to do. Instead he focused on the other hand, sliding his thumb along her jaw to tilt her head away, his lips leaving hers to explore the delicate skin of her neck.

It was then he heard the front door open and he froze for a beat before reaching for his wand on his desk, closing the door with a sufficient thud, hoping that was enough to prevent anyone from trying the handle. He looked at Zinnia with a moment's clarity, her close proximity, the blush on her cheeks, the rapid beating of his own heart. "You should go," he managed in a hoarse whisper, throat dry, tone uncertain. The very vivid thought of what he wanted flashed through his brain and he was again momentarily shocked. If he wasn't already flushed, he could have felt the heat on his cheeks. All he could think about was taking her back to his townhouse to pick up where they'd left off and continue to test the boundaries they had already shattered...

---

  

---

This is not what Zinnia had come here to do; she’d come here to get the constable to come look for someone smashing pumpkins and maybe put a stop to it, or at least be on the lookout for someone doing it. It was Hogsmeade weekend, so she wouldn’t be surprised to learn it was a few Hogwarts students meandering around, destroying pumpkins simply because they could; they were still kids after all, and it wasn’t like a pumpkin was irreplaceable. She and Millie had just spent a lot of time carving theirs, and she didn’t have the heart to write to her cousin that it had been destroyed. (What Millie didn’t know wouldn’t kill her, so Zin would just write that they didn’t win the competition, but she’d be happy to try again next year with an even better design.)

Did she like where she winded up though? Absolutely. Mr. Gallagher had always been handsome to her, and now she couldn’t get enough of his kisses that made her sigh, or the way his hands moved up her thigh, causing goosebumps erupt across her skin. Zin was aware this wasn’t her, she wasn’t a damn harlot out to sleep with any man who smiled at her, but she was losing interest in fighting against every instinct that told her that was what she wanted, and it would be okay if she just gave in. So she did.

Zinnia tipped her head to the side as she felt soft lips grazing her neck, a small gasp sounding from her that made her finger tightens around him. Blue eyes fluttered closed, relishing in what he was doing until the front door opened. Mr. Gallagher was much faster at giving them privacy than she was, although she blinked owlishly at him, lips parting as their gazes met. Her own face was flushed, her pupils dilated, but his appearance matched hers.

“Are you sure that’s what you want?” Zin picked up on the uncertainty. Somewhere, in the very back of her mind something agreed with him; she should walk away and pretend like this didn’t happen because the only person she’d ever imagined doing something so intimate with was her husband. But every other part of her brain told her this was exactly what they both wanted, so why stop now? “Because I’m okay with continuing what we started, Rhys.” Zinnia smiled at him, tilting her head to the side as she appraised his expression. Her thumb came up to brush against his lower lip, blue eyes blinking back up into his. Then she leaned forward and kissed him again.

---

  

---

Bee made me something beautiful<3

Rhys had already found himself shaking his head at her question before he could articulate a real answer. She cut off any reasonable reaction with that wicked little move of her thumb and he lost all sense again as she kissed him. Merlin's beard. He needed to stop this, knew that was right, but he was so drunk on the closeness of the moment that he couldn't even begin to fight against the current of arousal swelling in his gut.

He kissed her greedily, hands moving around her more firmly, pulling her closer. He could feel the corset beneath the fabric of her dress and was mildly frustrated by it. What the hell was he thinking? Surely he was losing his mind. Rhys would have never even so much as touched Zinnia like this with a clear head, but she was egging him on and making it incredibly difficult.

Managing to surface for a brief moment, Rhys weighed his options quickly and he lost the battle of reason. "Not here," he whispered, voice thick with want as he looked at her. Skipping out of work was one thing. One thing Rhys never did. Skipping out of work with a young woman he barely knew, but desperately wanted, was another thing entirely. Taking her back to his place was so very improper, but it was all he could think about.

Rhys reached for his wand again, his other hand gripping her tight as he stood up quickly, holding her upright and against him, before he apparated from his office and right to his room at the townhouse. It took less than a second for him to discard his wand on the nearby bookshelf, both hands itching to hold her, as he cradled her face between them, leaning down to kiss her with wild abandon.

---

The following 1 user Likes Rhys Gallagher's post:1 user Likes Rhys Gallagher's post
   Enid Glynn

---

Zinnia found herself lost in the intensity of the stolen moment, the kisses and hands pulling her closer that only made her breathless and craving more; her fingers balled around the fabric of his shirt to keep him place as she pressed herself closer to him, blue eyes fluttering closed again. She was pleased that he had decided to stay, that he hadn’t forced her out the door to leave her on her own when all she wanted was to be right here, in his arms.

His words made a shiver run down her spine and for a brief moment she had a moment of clarity that made her pause; if they did this, she was giving him something that she’d never get back. At the same time her heart fluttered because Rhys was the person who she wanted to do this with, go as far with him as they were both comfortable with. Not here was a good idea; there were no good options outside of the chair and she wasn’t quite sure how that’d work. (Not that she had much clue on how any of this worked, but she was a quick learner.) Zinnia nodded. “Okay,” she quietly agreed, wetting her lips with her tongue. While she was well aware of how improper this was, who had to know? The one person who’d seen her come in and left and no one at home would miss her for a few hours.

His hand gripped her but she curled against him, arms coming to wrap around his waist lest he decide to leave her behind in a last minute effort. Zinnia held her breath, the battle between reason and desire long over as he whisked her right out of his office and into his bedroom; she didn’t get a chance to look around, see what kind of personal things he might have around as before she knew it, he was cradling her face and kissing her with such ferocity that it sent all her worries and doubts fleeing.

She abandoned all her reservations and let herself be swept away in the moment, popping up on her tippy toes to kiss him with equal ardor. She arched with a soft groan, her chest brushing against him, noise muffled against Rhys’s mouth. Zinnia’s fingers found their way to his chest and she gingerly dragged them down the fabric of his shirt until she could dip them under the hem. Merlin, she’d never been this close to a man, but it was intoxicating. Desperate to touch his skin, it was almost frustrating with how many layers were blocking her from her goal. It didn't stop her though, from trying.

---

  

---

Bee made me something beautiful<3

This was coming alarmingly too easy. Rhys would have hesitated far more, put an absolute stop to this if she wasn't equally as enthusiastic about the whole thing. She was running the show really. Rhys was positive he could stop if she asked him too. It might slowly kill him, but he could.

The need didn't seem to be there though as she arched against him and he had to contain the urge to toss her on the bed immediately. The late afternoon sun filtered through the closed curtains, only giving him enough light to see the same desire he felt matched in her eyes and in her movements as she slid her hands under his shirt. He slid his hands down the front of her bodice, searching for the buttons as the first step to getting the layers between them out of the way. Rusty as he was in this aspect of life, he made short work of the buttons, pushing the bodice from her shoulders to be forgotten on the floor. The newly exposed skin was too tempting and Rhys ducked his head down her neck, trailing kisses down her flushed skin to her collarbone, over her shoulder. His hands reached around to the laces of her corset, pulling at the ties, hoping to loosen it enough to make unhooking the front easier.

Her hands on his skin were driving him mad, and he had to pause on her corset to pull her against him once more, recapturing her lips with his as he started to guide her backwards towards his bed.

---

  

---

Rhys seemed to read her mind, and she paused for a mere second, feeling as his hands moved down to loosen her bodice, letting it fall to the floor with much thought. Zinnia could instantly breathe, although she lost her breath kissing the man in front of her until he was pulling back, kissing against her skin that made her gasp. Blue eyes fluttered closed as she tipped her head, eager for him to continue trailing the kisses against her skin. Her hands slid under his shirt, relishing in the way his skin felt beneath her fingers. Part of her wondered what it would be like to feel his fingers running against her bare skin.

He seemed to read her mind, loosening the corset so that it flopped in front of her, not quite falling to the floor, the laces still keeping it snug against her body. With great reluctance she pulled her hand back from him in favor of tugging at the corset, although Rhys didn’t give her a chance, capturing her lips again as he pulled her against him. Zinnia wrapped her arms around his neck without hesitation, letting her fingers graze the back of his neck as they stepped backward toward the bed; the back of her thighs hit the wood a few steps later. Blue eyes opened to glance at what had happened, although finding that it wasn’t threatening to what they were doing, Zin turned her attention back toward Rhys, her hands moving to look wrap around his waist.

Of course the witch didn’t stop there, her hand creeping up to pull his shirt from the back, fingertips brushing against his back. She sat down on the edge of the bed, pulling Rhys with her as she did. It was only then that Zinnia pulled back so she could get some much needed air in her lungs, eyeing the man in front of her. His cheeks were flushed red, a mirror to her own, and ran her finger up his spine as far as she could reach. His skin was soft and warm, and Merlin, she couldn’t stop touching him now that she’d started. “Your eyes are really pretty.” Zin smiled at him, one of her hands coming up to curl into his hair to tug him back down into a hungry kiss; she was getting better at these. Breathing was overrated and she didn’t really need to do it, not when she felt like she needed Rhys’s mouth and hands on her to live.

---

The following 1 user Likes Zinnia Gallagher's post:1 user Likes Zinnia Gallagher's post
   Rhys Gallagher

---

Bee made me something beautiful<3