Welcome to Until The End. We are a moderate Harry Potter role-playing site set in the Marauder's Era. Our plot is generally derived from details in the book, but as an AU site we do take liberties most anywhere we like. Those who died in the books can have a second chance at living, and those who lived are always at risk.
Tom Marvolo Riddle has long since disappeared and in his stead Lord Voldemort has risen, bringing a small army with him. The Ministry of Magic has thus far ignored the growing menace that is the Death Eaters and Albus Dumbledore has taken it upon himself to defend the wizarding community from an evil he knows is building. War is coming. Pick a side!
School's Out For Summer
The Hogwart's Express has pulled up to the station in King's Cross station and the summer holidays have officially begun. What mischeif will you get into in the warm summer sun?
*Coming Soon* - Summer Solstice Carnival
Travel by portkey to the biggest summer celebration in wizard society - The Summer Solstice Carnival! There will be food, games, prizes, fun and more!
Post by Lyra Ophelia Nott on Jul 26, 2019 12:48:47 GMT -8
Lyra had been all but unreachable on Saturday to anyone but Julian. He was home now and Lyra had spontaneously arranged several different reunion-type activities, many of which involved very little clothing. Julian's return had been a rush of emotions, not to mention the chaos his new friends had caused. Talia, the gorgeous witch who was staying at Faust Chateau with her two year old daughter, seemed nice enough, though she still made Lyra uneasy for some reason. Julian had assured her there was nothing romantic between them, and Lyra confessed that she could see where a bond would easily form given their short history together, but she still didn't fancy having the attractive brunette essentially living with her boyfriend.
Boyfriend. That was a fun word to use again. She'd not said it aloud but she'd thought it several times as she watched Julian's naked bum strut across the bedroom to fetch her something or when she entered the room to see him waiting for her. She was getting ahead of herself as she often did, but as was Lyra's way, she saw no issues with how she was proceeding. Things were exactly where they had ought to be and after nine months of being apart, she felt justified in imagining that Julian was not just her not-boyfriend or her lover or the complicated other half to her complicated love life. He was her boyfriend. He was hers.
Taking a break from the Chateau, Lyra had gone home to her flat to pick up some of her things and to get away from Julian's guests. "You could make tea here, if you'd like." She turned her back to Julian and pulled her honey colored curls over her shoulder, indicating she needed help with the zipper of her dress. She was still wearing the same thing she'd arrived at his manor in yesterday and while it had spent a good while on the floor of his bedroom, she still felt a change of attire was appropriate. "I'm sure Farah and her mum can manage dinner on their own. Besides," she turned and faced him, leaning over as her dress dropped a little and revealed her cleavage, "my kitchen has missed your skilled hands."
A knock at her front door broke up their foreplay and Lyra straightened herself up quickly, turning her head toward the open doorway that led from her bedroom into the lounge. She wasn't expecting anyone, but then again, she argued to herself, she hadn't been expecting Julian either. Her dress dropped further with her sudden movement, and she looked back to Julian with an expectant look. "Would you see who that is?" she asked, pulling her dress completely over her hips and stepping out of it with the grace of a prancing unicorn.
I'll take you down the only road I've ever been down.
E
lara was livid.
Not because Lyra had ran straight into Julian's arms - she expected that. Lyra was impulsive. And not because Lyra had all but disappeared after her conversation with Julian - Nik had apprised her of Julian's so-called "acquaintances" and Elara made a mental note to kick the scoundrel in the shin if she ever ran into him again.
She wasn't mad because Lyra missed her big meeting with Nigel Emmerson - the hot new designer that could make or break Lyra's career. She wasn't upset that Lyra didn't reschedule or even let Eisley - Enchanted's editor - know that she wouldn't be in the office.
She didn't mind the inconvenience of Eisley's panicked call when Lyra couldn't be reached. And she was only a little disappointed that she had to cancel her luncheon with Christine in order to meet with Nigel herself - though she hadn't prepared a presentation.
No. Elara took it in stride. She simply assumed that the shock of Julian's return and the new woman in his life (child in tow!), was too much and Lyra was in some kind of shock or mourning. Yes, the girl was surely sobbing her heart out somewhere and Elara wasn't a complete robot - even if she thought emotions were bloody inconvenient.
She had tried to reach out to Lyra herself after the meeting and invited Lyra to join her and Nik for dinner. She didn't tell Nik about the meeting as he was already on edge and snapping at every turn. Elara was quite put out indeed, but she wasn't angry at least not at Lyra. Julian on the other hand had stewed up a decent rage and Lara was itching for a good fight.
Fueled by a rich desire to unleash some tension she took a carriage to Julian's chateau - where she had assumed Julian would have retreated to - intending to tear him a new one. Instead she caught up with a well-meaning house elf who assured Elara that Julian's guests were comfortably set up, but that Lyra and Master Julian had left already. Together. It didn't take long for Elara's sympathy for her heartbroken friend to turn into frustration for her addle-brained loved one.
Hot on their heels, they had only just entered Lyra's flat before Elara's crisp knock could be heard.
A few moments later the door opened and Julian's handsome profile could be seen. He missed Elara's sinister grin as his gaze lingered behind him toward the bedroom causing his head to be turned away from the angry brunette in front of him. His distraction was her opportunity.
Slap!
She followed her attack with a swift kick to the shin, checking it off her to - do list.
Post by Lyra Ophelia Nott on Jul 26, 2019 18:37:44 GMT -8
Julian hadn't left the room for but a minute when a shocking sound broke through the air of the otherwise still apartment. Lyra jumped a little at the sound then, rushing, grabbed her robe and threw it around her delicate frame as she ran from the room to see what was happening. She saw Elara in the doorway and Julian in front of her. Lyra scowled as she crossed the open edges of her robe in front of each other to hide her bare figure and pulled the sash around her waist. "What the bloody hell is going on out here?"
just because I loved the person holding the knife."
J
ulian's return home was surreal. Never in a million years did he imagine Lyra would welcome him with open arms after the pain he had put her through. He had expected and was prepared for accusations, justifiable cruelty, even violence. But forgiveness? Love? He didn't know what to think or what the future held. While they certainly had things they needed to discuss, and Julian still had so much to explain, they hadn't exactly spent much of their reunion talking. Not that he was complaining, but he knew they could only carry on shagging for so long - eventually they would need to talk, eat, sleep.
But for now he was content. He was beyond content. He was so wrapped in the ecstasy that was Lyra's willing and highly enthusiastic body that he couldn't take his eyes off of her. Thus he was quite defenseless when the tiny tornado in front of him smacked the hollow of his cheek. The surprise rendered him defenseless against the solid kick to his shin and he doubled over to shield himself from any new attack just as Lyra intervened.
"Nice to see you too Sam." he bit out while rubbing his leg.
Lyra may have forgiven him, but others certainly had not.
Post by Lyra Ophelia Nott on Jul 26, 2019 20:49:46 GMT -8
"Lara!" Lyra rushed over to Julian who was doubled over near the ground. "What is your problem?! The once at the dock wasn't good enough?" She had heard of the wallop Elara had laid on Julian down at the docks just after his arrival. It had sounded painful but it hadn't left any marks that were visible once he'd made his way to see Lyra. Well, technically, she supposed he had gone there to see Talia as he hadn't known Lyra was going to be at the Sayre's estate so quickly. The pragmatics didn't matter, Lara had already made her feelings known once before and now she was attacking Julian in her own home! Lyra knelt near Julian and inspected his cheek gingerly.
I'll take you down the only road I've ever been down.
E
lara's ire was barely sated, but she wasn't going to trample over Lyra to get to Julian.
"That's what I'd like to know! What the bloody hell is going on here Lyra?" she asked with more emotion and heat than Lyra had likely ever seen before from the petite brunette.
"Please explain to me what I just walked in on. Tell me you didn't blow off a game changing potential client to have a shagfest with the man who played you, abandoned you, and had the nerve to just show up with no warning. No letters of explanation. Nothing. Nothing except another woman and a child! A child! Is it his?" she turned to Julian, "Is it yours? Is she an ex or something or are you still sleeping with her?" she asked bitterly then turned back to Lyra, "What is this?"
Post by Lyra Ophelia Nott on Jul 26, 2019 23:06:13 GMT -8
"What client? What are you even-" A sinking feeling began to weigh Lyra down. Her face dropped. "Oh bollocks." She'd forgotten about her lunch meeting with Emmerson, which was supposed to have happened yesterday when she and Julian were fooling around. The rest of Elara's heated interrogation fell on deaf ears as Lyra began to panic about her big meeting and how she'd fumbled it without even a second thought. "Shite!" Jumping to her feet, Lyra stood and looked around her flat as if searching for something to help resolve the problem she'd created. There was a phone next to a pile of fashion magazines and she dashed for the receiver, dialing the Enchanted number as quickly as her fingers allowed. "Shite! I can't believe I forgot!" she exclaimed as the tone rang and rang, her call going unanswered as it was a Sunday. The offices were closed. "Oh my Merlin, Sam, I am so sorry!" She was holding the receiver by her waist now, the dial tone still humming gently in the background. "I can fix this. I've Emmerson's details in my office. I'll talk to him-"
I'll take you down the only road I've ever been down.
E
lara normally enjoyed this moment. Over the years she had developed a taste for watching her victims fall from grace. It was utterly perverse, but she took a sick sort of glee witnessing the moment one of her victims realized they were ruined. First came panic, then fear, denial, more panic. Sometimes if the wound was particularly vicious Sam even got tears. But Lyra wasn't one of her victims. She didn't take any pleasure in seeing her friend fall apart over a lapse in judgement. All she felt was annoyed. She really wanted to be angry.
It was easier with Julian. Pure rage. On Lyra's behalf, but also her own. She was pissed at Julian, and because she wasn't in love with him it was easier for her to be stern with him until he earned his way back into her good graces. That was the difference. Sam didn't honestly expect Lyra to give up Julian forever, and she didn't want her to either. She just wanted Lyra to make sure that Julian earned her trust back. Love was one thing, supposedly it can't be helped, but trust was crucial. Without trust, it would never work.
She might not have been in love with Nik, but she trusted him like no other man in her life. He would never hurt her. He would always protect her. She was safe with him and nothing was more important to her than that.
Lyra didn't care about safe. She threw caution to the wind as soon as the wind blew Julian into port. But she did care about her job and Elara cared about Lyra.
"Enough." she said slashing her hand through the air, "I already handled it."
"You would know that if you answered any of your messages, but I see you were preoccupied."
Post by Lyra Ophelia Nott on Jul 27, 2019 10:10:00 GMT -8
Elara silenced her frantic ramblings with a sharp cut through the air. Lyra's breath caught in her throat. Adrenaline was coursing through her now with no outlet as she stood stagnant, phone receiver still in hand, the tune of an ignored call humming quietly in the background. While Elara wasn't technically her boss, she sort of was. Enchanted belonged to the Sayres and Lara's mum had done piss all with the company. Elara had been one of the few capable of turning the magazine around, technically as the owner although her uncle was really in charge while Elara was still in school. Not only was Lara the owner, she was directly responsible for Lyra's employment there now. It had been a huge risk and an even bigger favor to the down-on-her-luck blonde. So what was Lyra doing with that favor? Mucking it all up. "I'll talk to Kait. I'll explain everything..." Explain that she'd been shagging her boyfriend and forgot about her first solo pitch, the one she'd practically begged on hand and knee to earn. Lyra was in over her head. "I will fix it, Lara. I promise." She was shaking now, the pent up adrenaline having nowhere to run except through her quavering voice.
She'd all but forgotten Julian's presence until Elara referenced him indirectly. She felt so ashamed of her actions. Not of being with Julian or of forgiving him, because there was no other way for it, but of letting her selfishness blind her to her other responsibilities. She had been preoccupied, as Elara had put it, but she'd also been foolish. Lyra looked to Julian as if he could help her out of the mess she'd made, but there was nothing he could do. She simply had to eat humble pie and admit that she was not as in control of herself as she had believed. Oh, her therapist was going to have a field day with this.
just because I loved the person holding the knife."
J
ulian did his best to shield Lyra from Sam's wrath as he knew first hand what she was capable of, but there were things going on that Julian had no understanding of. He assumed it concerned Lyra's job as a fashion editor at Enchanted and that a rather important meeting had been missed due to their reunion. Julian felt guilty for the part he played in distracting Lyra, but he didn't regret their time together.
"Alright take it easy Sam, this was my fault. If you're mad be mad at me."
He would gladly take the blame for Lyra's lapse in memory, but it appeared as though Elara had enough anger for both of them. Julian anticipated an uphill battle - he had been surprised by Lyra's forgiveness - but he had been prepared to win his friends and loved one's trust back. He wanted Elara to know that he wasn't trying to shift or avoid blame.
Post by Lyra Ophelia Nott on Jul 27, 2019 16:03:36 GMT -8
She had looked to Julian for support but instead he took the whole mess on his own shoulders. For some illogical reason this made Lyra mad. Not as mad as Elara was - no one could possibly be that mad, but enough that Lyra furrowed her brow and pursed her lips. "Don't do that!" Her scolding tone was higher than she'd expected it to be, though truthfully she had never expected to scold Julian at all. "Don't act like all my mistakes are yours. That is so maddening!" She slammed the phone receiver onto the base, knocking a few of the magazines from the nearby pile as she did so.
I'll take you down the only road I've ever been down.
E
lara's fierce look of anger said that she blamed Julian plenty, but she agreed with Lyra. In this instance, Lyra was to blame for missing the meeting and Julian had his own list of crimes that Elara would have happily punished him over.
While Lyra scolded Julian for assuming blame, Elara crossed her arms over her chest and watched the pair with slight satisfaction. It was about damned time Lyra chastised the man - even if it wasn't holding him accountable for his asshatery or absence. Truthfully Elara was worried - not that she'd admit it. She had been worried yesterday when hearing Julian was back in town and rushed home to head Lyra off. More worried when Lyra missed her meeting and was unreachable, but finding out that she hadn't been in mourning over Julian and was instead busy shagging him had her the most concerned of all.
"Oh sure. Now you're mad at him." she scoffed.
Elara was responsible for this. She was the one who introduced Julian to Lyra in the first place. She was the one who orchestrated their romance, and she had been their staunchest supporter when things had been going well. She wouldn't admit it, but she still wanted them to work things out. They never would if Lyra was too head over ass about the man to hold him accountable, and Julian wasn't any better. His daft ideas about protection led to this mess, and he was still the self sacrificing idiot he had ever been - at least Elara assumed he was.
She would have spent more time finding out and reaming Julian a new one if she hadn't been distracted by Christine who was in the deepest depression Elara had ever seen from her cousin. She knew something happened during the summer, and she was determined to get the full story, but she did not have the emotional capacity to handle both her cousin and her best friend going barmey at the same time!
Post by Lyra Ophelia Nott on Jul 27, 2019 18:11:35 GMT -8
Lyra was annoyed at her friend's insinuations. "You've come to scold me, and you've done it. Bully for you. Either come in and shut the door so the neighbors aren't gossiping, or leave." She huffed as she crossed the room and headed back toward her bedroom.
just because I loved the person holding the knife."
J
ulian hadn't expected Lyra's censure, but he took it. She was clearly distressed and he wanted to help, but there was nothing for him to do. He hadn't intended to really take blame for the missed meeting so much as redirect Elara's anger back on him where it belonged. Lyra was innocent - well at least in Julian's eyes. Julian still carried so much guilt over the way he had left things, it would be a long time coming before he contradicted the insatiable blond.
He sighed rubbing at his cheek and hovering beside both women, ready to interject where he could but only if it made things better. That wasn't probable so for the most part he kept quiet.
When Lyra fired back at Sam and left the room, he wasn't surprised when Elara issued him one last glare that spoke volumes before turning on her heel to leave and slamming the door behind her. That would take some damage control, but it was an issue for another day. First he needed to see what - if anything - he could do for his girlfriend.
"Lyra..." he tested out softly coming into the bedroom.
Post by Lyra Ophelia Nott on Jul 27, 2019 19:43:16 GMT -8
Lyra hadn't bothered to look back after hearing the door slam but the lack of noise in the flat led her to believe Elara had gone. She felt angry with both of them, Elara more than anyone, but she also felt guilty. She had snapped at her best friend and her boyfriend, and she completely lost sight of one of the most important meetings in her young career. Kait had entrusted her to not only show up, but to win the account. Lyra hadn't even thought to ask Elara how the meeting had turned out in her absence. The guilt grew stronger.
"I'm sorry I yelled, Jules," she said without looking as Julian came into the room. She had sat herself on the foot of her bed and with a deep inhale she let herself fall backwards onto the springy mattress. "I'm just so mad at myself. I can't believe I missed that meeting!" She would be punishing herself for days over this. "Lara must hate me." She was being melodramatic but she couldn't see it. The adrenaline had turned sour and she was feeling closer to crying than frantic.