[April MP] The Spark of Adoration [Laura, Honey]

Her red hair burns like the rays of the sun,
I see her and I am lit. For she is beautiful
beyond compare, the girl with
ice for eyes and fire for hair.

Jonathan really should have known better. His efforts to drum up a little fun in Sugar and Spice with the adoption day event had gone a little bit too well. There was a reason they tried to keep visitors to a certain number in a normal business day. The creatures were overstimulated by all the new faces and goings on, which meant that it was chaos in the shop.

And just because the kneazle litters were the main draw for the adoption day didn’t mean they could neglect all the other animals that resided in the cottage. Regular pups and crups, the pygmy puffs, the hedgehogs, the rabbits, and not to mention the two obnoxiously demanding unicorns all needed attention as well. It was all hands on deck for this day, and Jonathan was paired with Holden to make sure the rest of critters were care for. Naturally this meant Jonathan was essentially on his own. It was hard to tell his little cousin that he couldn’t go play with his friends during his Hogsmeade weekend because he had to work the shop. So Jonathan didn’t. WIth a roll of his eyes and a playfully dismissive wave, he let Holden off to greet his schoolmates who’d come to visit.

He watched the Holden running off to the cottage lane for a moment, before turning his attention to the red pomeranian he held in his arms. She was as cute as a button and had a brain of one as well. Jonathan and his cousins had gotten used to sensing when one of their critters was ready to hurl, and he had barely swept the pom out of the shop before it let out a nasty concoction of half-digested kibble, leaves, and some odd brown thing Jonathan didn’t even want to guess.

So while guests mingled around the shop, Jonathan was in the back giving the pom a bath. It was a messy affair, with water being splashed and shaken everywhere. Jonathan’s robes were drenched, and the poor pom looked like the saddest shaggy mop. He proceeded to towel her off before holding her down and pointing his wand, sending a jet of warm air to wick the rest of water off her fur, turning her into a giant puff ball. He realised he hadn’t anything to really groom her, and the animals spooked easily if too much magic was used around them. So back into his arms she went.

He was just about to enter the shop through the back door when he noticed a flash in the periphery of his vision. He leaned back to look onto the lane, seeing who held the camera. Ah! Those fiery locks were unmistakable.

‘Oyyy!’ Jonathan yelled out to her. @Laura Millings!’ He began walking briskly toward her as he beckoned her to him, hoping to save a few steps if they met halfway. Jonathan got a bit too excited perhaps, because he heard a yelp come from his arms just before the pom bit his hands in a bid for freedom.

Jonathan flinched, and the pom tried to leap out of his arms, but he readjusted and kept her in his grasp. Jonathan glared at her, muttering as he tried to soothe his poor hand. ‘This is why you’re called a bitch,’ he said under his breath, not caring that the pom didn’t understand a single thing he said. He looked up and smiled at Laura, but noticed another set of red hair.

‘About time!’ he yelled out. ‘I skipped breakfast thinking you’d come by earlier. And my cousins wouldn’t let me take a cupcake until they made sure they had enough for the guests.’

With both his friends present, Jonathan noticed that with Laura, Honey, and even the red pom, he was the odd one out.

‘I’m half-tempted to turn this she-devil into a wig.’ He held the pom above his head which didn’t seem to mind her new perch. ‘Reckon it’s a good look on me?’

@Laura Millings @Honey Bea Flume

“You need to delegate, Beatrix.”

Honey immediately looked up from the hard candies she was in the process of making, hands clasped around the bowl of hot sugar syrup, stopping mid-pour. She raised her eyebrows at her mother, who was standing across the large kitchen island from her, almost daring her to say those words again. But the look that was returned to her was all the encouragement the witch needed to put down the bowl and take a step back, eyes narrowed. “You retired, y’know?” Honey smirked as she wiped her hands on her aprons and took the chance to push her long sleeves back up to her elbows.

Her parents were on the tail end of their week long visit and had managed to simultaneously remind her of how much she missed them and how much she liked living alone. It wasn’t like she had been displaced -- she had never moved out of her childhood bedroom and into the larger one her parents had shared -- but it had put a bit of a damper on her social life. She had finally managed to sleep with a certain Bulgarian seeker after nearly an entire month of pursuit (and he had certainly exceeded expectations); what should have been a week filled with more of the same was instead a week filled with tiptoeing around the subject of her personal life with her parents. She was pretty sure she had a boyfriend now -- the vodka she had consumed had made her a little fuzzy on the details -- and she was still dealing with the fallout her parents were experiencing from their loss of her last boyfriend so she wasn’t about to add any fuel to that fire.

Mrs. Flume gave her another look and Honey took another step back, sighing a resigned, “Fiiine.” She hadn’t slept much the past night (if a twenty minute nap counted as sleeping) because she had been making sure the shop was ready for the students’ day, and no matter how covert she thought she had been, she figured her mother knew it all. “Fine,” she said again as her mother swooped in to finish the candies. With a roll of her eyes, Honey walked back into Honeydukes proper, about to jump on the till or restock a shelf or do anything productive at all when her father nudged her toward the door, telling her to get some air.

She thought she could have sneaked through the shop and blended in with the crowd and never have to leave, but Mr. Flume was too smart for that, too, apparently. “Fine.” Honey showed herself out, at least reserving that last little bit of dignity. She sniffed, glancing up and down the high street, packed with students and many more adults than was the norm for a Hogwarts visiting day. The biggest crowd was near Sugar and Spice; her face lit up as she remembered it was adoption day.

Kneazle adoption day meant the puppies were probably unoccupied; she had always wanted one, but she had a nagging feeling that dogs and chocolate shops couldn’t coexist. Jonathan was even out in the street to greet her -- and Laura, too? -- and then she remembered that she had said she would stop by in the first place. “Yeah, I didn’t forget,” Honey offered with a smirk after getting a little bit closer. “You need new cousins.” She reached into the pocket of her apron and pulled out a handful of rejected-but-perfectly-edible wrapped candies and chocolates, holding them out for him to make a choice.

“I totally forgot,” Honey whispered to Laura as she kissed both her cheeks before pulling back with another smirk. “What do you think?” She asked about Jon’s new look, only waiting a beat before shaking her head. “Better not.” She held out both arms to collect the pomeranian from him. “I have a lot of credits saved up that I’d like to start cashing in right now.”

Laura was extremely excited for the Sugar and Spice adoption day event, mostly because she would be able to take photographs for the Daily Prophet as commission. The majority of their journalists were busy with the ongoings of other worldly news, and such a 'small thing' wouldn't have photos unless someone stepped up to the plate. Laura just had to jump on the opportunity to put her Laura Millings Photography side hustle to good use. After taking photos of dead bodies, magical distruction, and evidence she never wanted to ever touch, it was a nice brain wash to look at cute animals. She seriously needed it.

She was taking photos of the nearby places and a faraway shot of the shop when she heard her name being called by a familiar voice. "Ah Jon!" She smiled, taking a photo of him with the pomeranian as they approached. She quickly mini-jogged her way over to him. "Hello cutie," she coo'd at the dog, "and of course you too cutie," she let out a little laugh as the pat Jon lightly on the shoulder. "I had paperwork to fill out," she held up her Daily Prophet Guest badge. The witch turned as Jon yelled out to someone behind her. "Honey!" she exclaimed with a wide grin, happy to see her dear friend.

It was perfect to see her friends at a cute place. The crime scene photographer couldn't be any happier at the moment.

Honey came in for cheek kisses and a whisper. "Noooo" Laura whispered back, "how?" The redhead gave a little gasp as Jon held the dog on his head, "red suits you, but with hair," she giggled. Honey was already asking for the dog, and the witch would just have to wait her turn. "What is the cute little princess's name?" Laura couldn't believe that the pom was a she-devil as Jon had noted. She looked too adorable. "Oh, I want to take a photo of you Honey with our little red friend with the shop sign in the background!" She bounced slightly, "stay", she shifted a little, putting her magical camera up to her eyes to look through the window, and adjusting the lens. A quick snap and a flash she smiled, "perfect." She held a thumbs up as she carefully placed her camera back to its sitting position around her neck.

"How has the shop been Jon? Busy?" Had to be. There was a lot of commotion. "Any adoptions so far?" She was just asking questions, in the event she had to relay anything on along with her photos. "And it's really great to see you both," she smiled.