Lunch & Gossip

[prof_stargazer]

Date: Wednesday August 8, 2001
Time: 11:30 am
Location: Primrose Café,  Muggle London
Rating: PG
Characters Involved: Stella Sinistra, June Connors

Stella was very much looking forward to lunch with June, although she knew that a lot of things had changed since they'd last seen each other at the end of the school year.  Mandy's death, of course, was the

Comments

[sightlesswolf]

Part of June resented taking even this little time off from the search. Having to work was one thing, but taking a leisurely lunch with a friend felt an awful lot like slacking. And yet she knew that a leisurely lunch with a friend was probably just exactly what she needed right now. She'd scarcely done a thing beyond working and going from contact to hideout to contact - and she knew that Glamis was going out even when she wasn't, which just made her feel like she needed to try harder to make up for it. At this point, finding Fenrir Greyback was practically all she could think about. When she could fall asleep, the old nightmares came back, of teeth and claws and agony in the dark - and they'd been joined by new ones, dreams where Mandy was the one being torn apart, or Perry, or Zak, or her family. It wasn't healthy. Not healthy at all.

So. Lunch with Stella, in Muggle London. In a pretty little café with greenery and flowers everywhere. Then she'd go help Severus out as promised. One afternoon not thinking about Greyback wasn't going to hurt them, not after two entire months.

She spotted Stella at the entrance to the café at the same time one of the waitresses did, and stepped up behind her friend just as the older woman spoke. "Are you ready to be seated?"

"Yes, please," June piped up. "Outside if you've got it." She could see they had, and sure enough, they were soon settled at a wrought-iron table surrounded by the scent of flowers in bloom. The sculpted-iron trellises provided some shade from the summer sun, and June took a deep breath, feeling the air around her lighten a little already. This was definitely a good idea.

The waitress provided them each with a glass of water and a floral-painted menu and departed. June smiled at Stella. "Hi! You found the place all right, it looks like."

[prof_stargazer]

Stella had been opening her mouth to answer the waitress when all of a sudden she heard June's voice just behind her. She turned quickly to smile at her friend before the waitress led them off to their table.

The café was lovely, and Stella was glad that she'd let June make the decision as to where to meet! She gladly returned June's smile, happy they'd been able to find a time to do this.

"It's just lovely," Stella said, glancing around. "A very nice choice." Getting the chance, now, to look at her friend made Stella a bit worried- June, though she was smiling, looked a little worn out.

"How are you, June?" As soon as the words were out of her mouth, Stella could tell that her tone was a bit to serious and concerned- so she tried to joke, a little. "And if you say 'fine', I will hex you." Stella smiled. "Between Remus and Caleb, I am thoroughly sick of that word!"

[sightlesswolf]

The truth was that the place was a little... well, girlier than June's tastes normally ran. Back in the day, it had usually been her cousin suggesting eating here. But it was nice, and more importantly, the atmosphere was about as far away as possible from where she had been mired lately. A breath of fresh, flower-scented air.

"I'm glad you like it. The last time I came was with my cousin, and that was... oh, ages ago. I can't even remember. I should be glad it's still here!" She saw Stella's gaze sharpen on her face, and smiled a bit wider, trying to radiate normalcy.

Evidently she didn't quite succeed. She was opening her mouth to reassure the other woman when Stella headed her off, half joking... but only, from the sound of it, half. June quickly closed her mouth on the word and backpedaled, looking for another way to answer that was equally innocuous.

"I'm... doing all right?" she offered, the corner of her mouth quirking with humor of her own. "Seriously. I mean, I guess I'm a little tired. It's been a weird summer at home." The hunt for Greyback, Remus had stressed, was not to be mentioned outside the pack, not even to friends. But it wasn't as though they didn't have enough excuses for a 'weird' and stressful summer. She decided a change of subject was in order. "But... Caleb? Who's Caleb?" The name had a faint sort of familiarity, as if someone might have once mentioned it in passing, she couldn't remember when. But Stella had used it with every bit as much ease as Remus's - June, with her sensitive ears, suspected there may even have been a note there that Remus's lacked.

She took a shot, eying Stella with a new light of amused suspicion. "Has somebody got a boyfriend?"

[prof_stargazer]

Stella easily accepted 'a weird summer' as reason for June's tired appearance, though she was still a little worried about her. She made a mental note to keep an eye on June during the first few weeks of school- that was stressful enough by itself, without the added suffering all of the Spinner's End residents had been going through.

But before she could say anything to June about getting a little more rest, June had already jumped onto the next topic- one that Stella hadn't meant to mention quite so early in the conversation! She couldn't help the rather ridiculous grin that crept across her face at June's question, though, and knew that any advice would have to be postponed for the moment.

Stella nodded in response, the idiotic grin still plastered on her face, her eyes sparkling. "He's amazing-" she began, realizing that this was the first real friend she'd shared the news with, not including Remus. And as she had gone to Remus more out of worry and concern, this was decidedly more fun.

[sightlesswolf]

June was still June, and couldn't stop a delighted grin of her own lighting up her face at the news, the shadows clearing away. She slapped the menu down on the table, planting her hands palm-down on top of it, all her attention on the very important subject at hand.

"You do! Stella! What's he like? I mean, besides amazing - where'd you meet him? When? Details!" she demanded with a laugh, feeling suddenly better than she had in ages. She may not have seen the light of the dating world in way too long, but she'd always loved to hear about her friends' successes - and judging by the sparkle in Stella's eyes, this one definitely qualified as a success so far! Granted their friendship was fairly new, but she'd never seen the Astronomy professor glow like that.

[prof_stargazer]

Stella was always the type of person who was very friendly, but her close friends were few and far between. Since the war, though, she had been trying to change this- to keep the few close friends that she did have, like Remus, but also to try and open up a bit. She and June had talked quite a lot over the past year, and at the moment Stella was very excited to have a girlfriend to 'gossip' with- especially since June seemed so eager to hear details!

"I met him right at the end of school- during exam week. We were sitting next to each other at the Leaky and started talking- and the next thing I knew I had asked him out!" Stella laughed, still a little surprised at herself for actually working up the nerve to ask Caleb on that first date.

"He's funny, and kind, and he has the most beautiful eyes- and he's so sweet and considerate- I've never met anyone like him." Stella knew she was rambling a bit, but when else did she get the chance to talk about Caleb like this? Her smile did fade a little, though, as she took a deep breath and paused before telling June the other important thing about Caleb.

"The only thing that has been a little difficult to adjust to is that Caleb is a werewolf, too."

[sightlesswolf]

He's a- The lightbulb went on.

"Oh, that's where I heard that name before!" June exclaimed, bringing her fist into her other palm with a smack. "Caleb Moore, right? Remus mentioned him! I mean, he didn't tell us much, only that he was getting himself on the Registry and getting settled in - he definitely didn't tell us you were dating him!" She was talking too fast to worry about pronoun clarity. It wasn't until she paused for breath that she recognized the slightly apprehensive look on Stella's face. And realized that most people's initial reaction to that news would probably have been somewhat different.

Well, June was the last one to be judging someone on dating a werewolf, for obvious reasons. Stella was friends with a few of them, so she already knew something about the condition, and she certainly had enough sense to look out for her own safety as necessary. June would, of course, have had a healthy wariness of a strange unregistered werewolf that turned up out of the blue, but Remus had already spoken with Caleb and seemed pretty sure he was on the level. She reached out and covered Stella's hand with her own, giving it a reassuring squeeze.

"Now I've definitely got to meet him. Remus said we likely would eventually, but... yes. I'd say better sooner than later." She winked to show she didn't mean that in any ominous sense.

[prof_stargazer]

Stella should have known that June's reaction was not going to be anything like the way Remus or Severus had responded when they heard about Caleb. Still, the fact that she was getting a positive response took a minute to sink in. But by the time June's hand had closed over Stella's, the look of apprehension had faded into a grateful smile.

"I'll make sure to introduce you two- Caleb has heard your name quite a bit over the last few weeks," Stella admitted. "It's such a nice change to actually tell someone about Caleb without them looking at me like I'm insane. Remus was worried, at first, but he's been such a help to us..." Stella shook her head, her smile fading a bit. "I'm just glad to have such wonderful friends. Especially since I don't know what my family is going to think of all this."

Stella wasn't stupid, she was well aware of the prejudice that werewolves faced, sometimes even from their own families. She didn't think that it would ever come to the point of having to choose between Caleb and her family- but if it did, she was going to need all the support she could find.

[sightlesswolf]

"Well, I have to admit I'd be more worried if Remus hadn't already met him," June replied frankly. "There are still a lot of us out there that sided with Greyback, and a lot more that are just looking out for themselves. Not that I can really blame them." Her one-shoulder shrug had a cynical slant to it. "It's hard to do anything else right now but try to look after yourself. But a total stranger could've been dangerous."

She shook her head slightly and her expression cleared. "But Remus says this guy's on the side of the angels, as they say, so I can skip the worrying step. I'm so glad for you - both of you!"

A shadow crossed June's face at the comment about Stella's family. Her impulse was to immediately reassure Stella that of course her family would understand. Oh, they might be taken aback, but if she really cared about Caleb, they would come to accept it. But she'd seen and heard about too many people rejected by their own families, the parents who had loved and cherished them since birth, just because of a curse they couldn't help, to be quite so blithe. She didn't know Stella's parents. Maybe they were the type who would force her to choose between them and a werewolf lover. Or even if they didn't go that far, they might refuse to accept him, and make things very uncomfortable for Stella and Caleb both - maybe unbearably so. Merlin grant that her family's better than that!

"I daresay they'll be surprised," was all she said, keeping her tone light. "You might have to be a little patient with them. But with any luck they'll be happy for you once they've got used to the idea."

[prof_stargazer]

"I know I probably rushed into things a bit," Stella admitted. "But by the time he told me, I already thought he was rather wonderful, so any cautions I would have taken kind of went out the window." Really, looking back, Stella knew she had been quite stupid about the whole situation- an unknown werewolf, just arriving out of the blue? But she had felt Caleb's kindness from the moment she'd met him, and fortunately she'd been proven right- Caleb was 'on the side of the angels' as June put it, and Stella was glad that she was turning out to have at least one friend who was accepting and happy for them!

Her parents, however, were another story. Stella had been trying to assure both Caleb and herself that they were very tolerant people, that she'd never heard them say anything negative about werewolves in all the years she'd known Remus. But, she also knew that there was a vast difference between having a werewolf as a colleague and a friend, and having one as a lover.

"Caleb is nervous about meeting them, but that's only to be expected, I think. Mum and Dad are really wonderful people, but you just never know, right?" Stella let out a sigh. "I really think they'll be ok, once they get used to the idea. I'm just worried about their initial reaction."

Stella was glad that June seemed to be so supportive of she and Caleb- hopefully June would be willing to help Caleb, at least with some information that Stella had been meaning to ask her about.

"June, you don't have to say yes if you don't want to, but can I ask you some questions? About your eyes-" Stella bit her lip, knowing she was being very blunt, but hoping June wouldn't mind too much.

[sightlesswolf]

"You just never know," June agreed with a rueful sigh. "If it helps, I mean if they do react badly - try to remember it's probably just because they're scared for you. They might have to get to know Caleb as a person before they'll believe he's not dangerous. With any luck at all they'll be willing to give him a chance, for your sake." She shrugged and smiled wryly. "I'm sure you've already been over and over how best to present the whole situation to them. They'll come around, I'm sure. Now when do I get to meet him?"

The wink she gave Stella was teasing, but she could see the woman was preoccupied. Still thinking about her parents, June surmised - until Stella opened her mouth again, and what came out wasn't at all expected.

"My... my eyes?" she repeated, tilting her head questioningly. The question seemed rather out of the blue, although... come to think of it, maybe it wasn't out of the blue at all. If they were still talking about Caleb - if he bore serious scars, as most werewolves did - the subject shift made more sense. Twining her fingers together, June rested her hands on the table and met Stella's gaze evenly, reflecting all over again what a miracle it was that she was even able to do such a simple thing.

Having been gifted with such a miracle, how could she even consider refusing to talk about it, if someone else might now need help?

"Ask away," she said simply.

[prof_stargazer]

June had always been a very friendly person, in Stella's experience, which is why even though her question had been so blunt, she was still hoping that June would respond. It seemed she had judged right, and gave June a thankful smile.

"It's only because of Caleb- he basically walked away from magic after he was bitten, including any possibility of getting the Wolfsbane potion," Stella began, figuring that she owed June an explanation, at least. "So for six years he chained himself up every Full, and in the process of fighting against the chains has ended up with a lot of scarring on his arms." Not that a lot even began to cover it- Caleb's arms were basically a mass of slowly healing scars.

"I've gotten used to it, now, but I have to admit it was a shock when he first showed me- and the first thing I thought of was you, and the first time I saw you without your glasses." It had been quite a shock, coming back from the Christmas holidays to see June without glasses and with eyes!

"My question is, I guess, how-" Stella paused for a moment, not quite knowing how to phrase her question, now that they'd gotten there. "Just how? I know most of it had to be Severus's work, but..." Stella trailed off, shaking her head in wonder and hoping she didn't sound completely stupid.

[sightlesswolf]

June nodded soberly as Stella described Caleb's experience. She had spent a fair number of full moons without the potion herself, in various circumstances; she could well imagine how badly he might have hurt himself if he'd had himself chained.

"It was all Severus's work. Severus's and Ginny Weasley's." The waitress chose that moment to return, and she paused the explanation until the woman had taken their orders, left their drinks, and departed again. She used the time to try and formulate her thoughts a little better. "I don't understand much about the technical portions of it; as far as I can tell, they worked a miracle. Severus came up with a potion - an ointment - somehow it does what no other healing potion has been able to do, it works on lycanthropic scarring." Somewhat self-consciously, she reached up to touch the still-marked skin around her eyes. "It didn't work overnight; I used it every day for months, and sometimes it felt like it wasn't working at all. But eventually it softened the scar tissue enough that Ginny was able to work with it, and she reconstructed my eye sockets."

An uneasy, lopsided sort of smile slid across her lips. "Great mealtime conversation, this."

[prof_stargazer]

Stella listened intently as June spoke, taking in the younger girls words as she thought of Caleb. As complicated as it sounded like the whole thing had been, the fact was that it had worked, and that there was a possibility that something could be done about Caleb's scarring.

At June's wry comment, Stella returned the half-smile.

"Yes, I know- forgive me. But-" she trailed off, shaking her head in amazement. "Thank you, June. You've at least given me a bit of hope that something can be done." Stella sighed, wondering how she was going to bring this up to Caleb. Obviously, she had to get some more information first, but even then she was sure that he wasn't going to take it well.

"It's just hard, because when he first showed me all of his scarring, I didn't react well. It was just such a surprise, the way he did it! They don't bother me at all, though, since I've seen them so often- but I can tell Caleb is really self-conscious about them. I just want to help him-" Caleb had been so shy since the day they'd met. Stella knew he was gradually coming out of his shell, so to speak, at least around her. However, he was still painfully shy around new people, and refused to wear anything but long sleeves and trousers, even in the middle of summer.

[sightlesswolf]

"Hard not to be self-conscious: scars are ugly." Evidently it was June's turn to be blunt. "They make people uncomfortable; they draw everyone's attention; they make people stare and ask awkward questions. Every time you meet a new person, you know right off that's all they're going to care about. And even if you're not one of us, most scars don't come from a situation you want to talk about over and over. Obviously you want to cover them up however you can." She shook her head, running the back of one hand lightly over the faint webwork that still surrounded her eyes, and sighed.

"Any rate, Caleb may not need Ginny at all. He could try using that ointment for a few months and see if it helps on its own. He doesn't need to rebuild anything - if he gets the tissue to soften, his own healing ability should be able to help fade the scars. If it doesn't help enough, he can talk to Ginny, but I didn't have her help much at all on my other spots and they're still a fair bit better than they were."

Pushing up her left sleeve, she showed Stella the expanse just below her shoulder. Where there had been thick, raised lines marring the skin, now all that remained were narrow, jagged white stripes. Her fingers could tell the difference between those and the normal skin between them, but they weren't nearly so horrid to look upon, and they didn't ache so often.

"These may not look like they've been healed much, but I promise, they have," she assured Stella. "They used to be just... oh, dreadful. Absolutely dreadful." She ran her fingertips over the marks once more, almost a fond gesture, then her gaze shifted back to Stella. "You might be able to imagine, if Caleb's are as bad as you say."

[prof_stargazer]

Stella frowned as she heard June talk about her scars, getting that awful feeling she felt whenever she was reminded that so many people she cared for had to deal with the horrible effects of the curse. Remus didn't talk a lot about his scars, though, so it was somewhat reassuring to hear that Caleb was not alone in hating his scars.

She was just about to comment on June's scars when their waitress came back to get their orders- they'd both been so wrapped up in their conversation, it took a moment for them to figure out what they wanted for lunch! However, it wasn't long before the waitress slipped away again, and Stella turned back to June.

"No, you're right," Stella said, nodding towards June's shoulder. "Those are a lot better than any of Caleb's scars. His arms are just a giant mass of scar tissue from trying to chew his way out of restraints every month." She shuddered visibly at this, hating to think of him being chained up and unable to control himself.

"But, like I said, it doesn't bother me so much anymore," she continued, taking a sip of her water before grinning at June. "Let's just say I've had plenty of opportunities to see them," she smiled, her eyes shining.