Les fois
Pandora walks down the sunny humid streets of London making her way to her favorite cafe, Les Fois, before heading into work. She walked these streets every morning rain, snow, sun, nothing broke her little routine. She pushed open the shop door ringing as she made her way inside. The smell of coffee and freshly baked pastries hit her, it was the little things like this that made her happy. She walked up to the counter to order a cold brew and a chocolate croissant.
"Hey Pandora chocolate croissant and cold brew yea" the worker said handing her the items she ordered. "Let me ring you up"
"Thanks Astria, never one to keep a girl waiting are you." Pandora said paying for her coffee. "See you later" she shouted as she walked out of the door making her way down to the gallery. She loved her job she was an art curator for The Courtauld Gallery, meaning she chooses and organizes what they display in the gallery. It's her favorite thing ever to see all these old paintings these expressions of love, grief, humanity that have transcended when they were made. It was all just so beautiful to her. She walked in to the gallery greeting the security as she made her way to her office.
"Hi Ms. Lovegood so the National Art Gallery in D.C. reached out to us about that piece you were interested in loaning from them and they want to talk negotiations." Alice her assistant explained as she followed her to her office.
"Ah yes "Four Dancers" the Degas painting yes. If you could just send that to my email please. That would be great." she said sitting at her desk. "Oh and one last thing if you could talk to the Pushkin about getting them to loan us "Blue Dancers" that would be amazing I'd love to have two Degas on display. Thank you Alice."
"Yeah I got that I'll get right on it" she replies walking out of her office to go do what she was told. She’s really quite talented Pandora thought to herself. I'll have to talk to Bella about giving her a promotion. She started up her computer to do more research about what paintings she wanted to display. She loved the Degas but it would be even better if she could get a Monet. The National Art Gallery in D.C. also has a few Monets she wondered if she could get them to add a Monet in the deal.
She searched their website looking for the Monet section. "Here it is" she mumbled to herself opening the section. She loved "Woman with a Parasol" but she thought "Argenteuil" would get better with the rest of the works she hoped to be getting. "It isn't on display though ugh" she said rubbing her temple.
"Tough day is it" Remus said leaning against the door frame looking at her with an eyebrow raised.
"Holy shit what is wrong with you? Did your mother not teach you to knock?" she exclaimed jokingly motioning for him to sit. She jotted down the name of the art works so she could send them to Alice and closed her tabs to talk to Remus. "So to what do I owe the pleasure"
"Was in the area decided to stop by. So why the frustration?" he asked her grabbing a pen from her desk to fiddle with.
"Well you see" she began "There's this painting in D.C. that I really want but it's not on display. So that means one of two things either they don't have enough space on the gallery floor to display it or it's being restored. The last one is the problem if it is being restored there's no way I'd be able to get my hands on it." she gasped.
"Wow yea that doesn't sound good" he replied "But can't you just ask them which one it is"
"Yea I'm going to have Alice draft up an e-mail for me because we're already doing business with them so we'd be asking them for more" she said sending Alice a picture of the sticky note with the names of the paintings she was interested in. “Now what are you really doing here. We both know you don’t show up to my job because you were in the area. I mean really you don’t even live around here?”
“You got me” he sighed “You know I used to be a better liar. So you know how it’s Regulus’ birthday next month, well he wanted to go traveling. All expenses paid by the Black family, against their will of course.”
”Oh that’s amazing why were you so nervous about telling me that you know he could’ve told me himself”
“Pandora it’s not just that since it’s for Regulus, Sirius is going, which means James and L-“
“No” she stood up “I’m not going you know I love Regulus and I know I told him he could be friends with her but only if I have nothing to do with her. Tell him I can’t go” she turned her back to Remus.
Regulus knows what happens he was there the day it happened and what he’s torturing her. Forcing her to be around her. “I can’t, won’t do it Remus”
”I figured you’d say that but can you please just think about it. You know how much it means to him to have you there” he sighed rubbing his forehead “Bye Pands I’l see you later” he stood up grabbing his bag and walked out of her office.
She sat back down.
You know it doesn’t matter I just won’t go I mean with the gallery and everything coming up it’s a valid excuse she thought to herself. “I’m sure he’ll forgive me” she said to herself. She opened up her laptop again, what better to distract from the fact your best friend wants to make you hang out with your ex than pouring yourself into work. She picked up her phone. “Hey Alice did you get…”
——————————-
She grabbed her bag, said bye to her co-workers and walked out the door. The cold air hit her good thing she brought her sweater. Just this morning it had been suffocating but the temperamental London weather decided to go back to its normal self. As she walked her thoughts danced between art work, what she would make for dinner and well Regulus.
They had been close ever since Lily introduced them way back when. They were close but when she did what she did, they shockingly became inseparable. It’s like they went through a damn divorce she kept Remus, but I got Regulus. Even though they were all still friends, except well her and Lily of course, it’s obvious who favored who.
Regulus was her one true friend. The one who was there when she broke her heart the first time and all the times after that. And she was there for him when he got his heart broken. It’s hard to imagine not being there celebrating him and all he’s done for her. She sighed. They were family. It had been 10 years maybe seeing her wouldn’t be that bad.
She took out her phone and found Regulus’ contact. “We need to talk” she sent.
“I know that’s why I’m at “Les fois” he replied “Already ordered your coffee”
Of course he was waiting. She walked a few more minutes until she found her self standing in front of her favorite cafè. She pushed open the door instantly relieved that Regulus chose a cafè to meet and not the cold outdoors. She found him sitting towards the back and made her way over.
“Hey you” she exclaimed wrapping him in a tight hug. “How you been love” she sat across from him.
”I’ve been good and you Alice treating you well?” he joked
“Always I swear that girl is a genius” she sipped her coffee. “So the reason we’re really here isn’t to talk about Alice”
”Yea I know if I wanted to know about Alice I could’ve asked Cissa.” he sighed. “It’s about my birthday. I know you don’t want to see her but I just really want to have you there, both of you. I’m tired of not getting to spend time with the both of you. I know you’re hurt but if you could just try it’s been ten years.”
”I know reg and I’ll go”
“What?” he responded almost choking on his coffee
”It’s like you said” she sipped her coffee. “ It’s been ten years I can’t keep avoiding seeing her besides how bad can it be I won’t even have to talk to her.”