Dearly Bewildered [Rowena]

[Max Kameren]

Max Kameren was generally a confident person. He'd made it to twenty-eight capable and relatively unscathed, beyond that Max didn't really get caught up in the smaller details. With his sixth sense, if he spent time bending himself to fit others' feelings he would never stop. Today, though, that was all turned on its head; there was one person whose opinion mattered to him, and to Max she was wholly unpredictable. He pulled nervously at the sleeve of his jacket and rubbed his bearded chin with anxiety: was a t-shirt, jeans and a jacket too casual for a first date afternoon in London? They were going to a bookstore, it was hardly a place for top and tails. Should he have shaved? Possibly, but he was already halfway to her flat, so it was a bit late for that anyway.

Why was he so nervous? Max had literally seen Rowena twelve hours ago, when they were both leaving St. Mungo's. It had been two weeks since the fundraiser, when he'd originally asked her out on the date; it had been that long since the two work-obsessed healers both managed to get a day off at the same time. This would be the first time they would be together away from work, and Max had been looking forward to it since they set the day. He was interested to see what the usual high-strung, professional Rowena was like in her off-hours. At the same time, he was worried they would have nothing to talk about besides work.

He came to a stop in front of the building he was fairly sure was Rowena's, double checking the address she gave him. He whistled lightly looking up at its bright white surface before taking the steps two-at-a-time to stop at the front door. He rang the bell and checked his watch: only a couple minutes early, hopefully that was alright.

[Rowena Jones]

Rowena tripped over Pumpkin as the large ginger cat wound herself around her legs. Catching herself against her wall, the young healer swore loudly. “Out cat.” She said shooing the Maine Coon out of her bedroom and shutting the door. She leaned against it, trying, unsuccessfully to calm her nerves. It was just Max, she tried telling herself, but of course that just brought the horde of butterflies to her stomach. It wasn’t just Max anymore though was it? This wasn’t just work either. This was their date. Rowena Covington was going on a date with Max Kameren. She would have laughed if she wasn’t so nervous.

There were clothes scattered all over the room, as she’d discarded option after option. Too formal. Too much cleavage. Too dull. Too short. Too colourful. Too tight. Too loose. Nothing felt right! She was overthinking this wasn’t she? She sighed heavily. It had been so long since she’d gone on a proper date and well James and her had just been comfortable. Truth be told, she hadn’t really been that bothered about his opinion of her… but Max. She cared a lot about Max already. That kind of terrified her too.

What time was it? Did she have time to redo her hair? In all the frantic clothes changing, it had completely unraveled. She checked the clock on the wall and her eyes widened. Shit shit shit. She wasn’t even dressed yet and he was due in 5 minutes.

The doorbell rang and Rowena froze. Nooooo. What to do?! Think think think. A quick wave of her wand sent her playful Fox patronus out the bedroom and down the stairs to greet Max as the door opened, letting him know she would be there soon. She only hoped her cats would behave themselves until she got there. They loved new people and their size could be a bit intimidating.

Clothes. Anything. She grabbed the green woolen jumper and a pair of jeans, shimmying into them as quickly as possible. Huh. Why hadn’t she picked this earlier? She glared at her reflection as if it was all it’s fault, and sighed at the mess that was her hair. No time. She ran her fingers through it trying to tame it somewhat and then raced out the door and down the stairs, almost falling down them.

“Sorry, sorry!” she said breathlessly, her cheeks flushed pink from the rush. “I was just…” she paused and looked at him properly. A smile broke out on her face as she looked at Max, standing in her house. “Hi you,”

[Max Kameren]

Maybe it was the mental shift he made when he was in Muggle London, but Max was startled momentarily when the door was answered by a large, glowing white fox. Oh, a patronus, right. He shook his head and chuckled as he followed the spell-creature inside. Rowena would have a fox for a patronus, it fit. He waited patiently, if a bit anxiously, in the foyer. He took a small measure of comfort in the fact that he could also feel anxiety coming in waves from the upper floor where he heard Rowena's footsteps; at least he wasn't alone. Max had been on plenty of first-dates in his life, but for some reason this one felt like there was more riding on it. It felt bigger.

Rowena would be a minute, but the welcome brigade descended immediately in the form of two large long-haired cats doing figure-eights between his legs. "Hello," Max smiled and knelt to pet them, and soon regretted seceding the higher ground when he was overrun. The larger, grey cat was tall enough to reach his shoulder when he knelt and took advantage, sinking his claws into his jacket and latching himself to his new perch. Their collective neediness trapped Max in this position until he heard footsteps at the base of the stairs.

“Sorry, sorry!” she said breathlessly, her cheeks flushed pink from the rush. “I was just…”

His head snapped up quickly enough to startle the grey cat, and he jumped off his shoulders. "Hey," Max grinned, getting back on his feet as the cats retreated to their owner. "You look..." He trailed off, too awestruck at the surreal situation they were in to find the right synonym for 'beautiful' to suit his needs.

“Hi you,”

"Ready?" Max stepped forward and greeted her with a peck on the cheek, too nervous about accidentally transmitting how nervous he was for any longer contact. He followed Rowena out as the couple headed out into the afternoon. "I thought we could visit one of my favorite places in London. It's actually sort of near here, we can cut through the park." He shrugged; he hoped this was enough, that Rowena wasn't expecting more of a traditionally romantic date. Max wasn't really a flowers-and-candlelit-dinners person. He was actually quite relieved that they hadn't won the auction date. They could do their date their own way instead.

After a couple blocks Max's nerves had calmed enough that he thought he could get away with contact. When they looked both ways to cross the street into Hyde Park he reached out and grabbed Rowena's hand, entwining her fingers in his. "So," He moved right into conversation without acknowledging the next, hand-holding level their relationship had just taken, "I realized this morning that besides your secret research, I don't know anything about you besides that you're cute and the bane of the hospital's Potions staff." He smiled down at her mischievously. "So tell me about yourself, Rowena Covington. Have you always lived in London? What are your cats' names?"

[Rowena Jones]

"Ready?"

She nodded in reply, too dumbstruck by the tingling feel his lips left behind on her cheek. She shooed the two large cats into the kitchen where they couldn’t damage the soft furnishings in the rest of the house, and grabbed her keys, throwing them into her pocket with her wand and purse. Thank goodness for Extension Charms.

"I thought we could visit one of my favorite places in London. It's actually sort of near here, we can cut through the park."

Rowena nodded again. Apparently speech had deserted her in the surreal event that was her walking down her street, Max beside her. She desperately tried to calm herself, knew that Max must be feeling all her anxiety, and instead trying to focus on the excitement she felt about discovering more about the man beside her. Until recently, Max had been the bane of her existence, her biggest competition. Even though they had been at Hogwarts at the same time, and spent several years at Mungos together, she had realized during the last few weeks that she knew very little of him outside work. The chance to see one of his favourite places offered the perfect opportunity to get to know him, something she’d acknowledged she very much wanted to do.

They approached the road that separated the residential area from the Park and Rowena’s heart nearly jumped right out of her chest as Max reached for her hand and held it, his fingers entwining in hers.

"So, I realized this morning that besides your secret research, I don't know anything about you besides that you're cute and the bane of the hospital's Potions staff." She laughed.

"It's not secret. The board knows all about it."'she said, as he smiled down at her mischievously. "So tell me about yourself, Rowena Covington. Have you always lived in London? What are your cats' names?"

She continued to grin at him, the happy thrill she had felt when he had taken her hand finally helping to get rid of those pesky nerves. The butterflies were there in abundance, but now they were making her feel giddy, not nervous.

“The orange one is Pumpkin and Spice, her brother, is the grey one. Daddy bought them for me what… eight years ago now? I’m sorry about them jumping on you like that. They’re a bit of a handful,” her grin grew bashful as she remembered the sight that had greeted her when she had descended the stairs. Max in her house with her cats had done something stupid to her heart and it had flipped flopped all over the place. It had been a sight she could definitely get used to.

“And nope. I grew up in Nottingham. My family owns some land there.” OK, so some land might be a bit of an understatement. Wollaton Hall was pretty well known and not exactly small. She smirked at him.

“Did you ever watch Batman? The Dark Knight Rises one?” she asked. She knew he was familiar with Muggle stuff, he certainly looked comfortable walking with her in Muggle London, but she wasn’t sure if he’d grown up watching films and using the internet the way she had. “Well, anyway I grew up in Batman’s house.” She giggled. It was always a source of amusement that the film director’s had chosen her home to serve as the fictional hero’s. She’d only been one at the time, so she remembered none of the actual filming but it was still such a silly wonderful thing to be able to tell people.

“Wollaton’s lovely though. Maybe, if you’re lucky, I’ll take you there one day.” She blushed as she realized how that might sound. “It’s open to the public most of the year so don’t worry, I’m not already inviting you to meet the parents.” She added hastily before quickly changing the subject to him, “What about you?” she asked."I feel like I know even less about you."

---

OOC. Obviously changed history a little bit taking Wollaton for the Covington's but couldn't resist the Batman insert. Basically, the council never bought the house so it never got turned into a museum etc, but as a lot of other historical houses in the UK, they opened it partially to the public to help fund restorations etc. I did way too much research for this post

[Max Kameren]

The place where Max and Rowena’s hands met served as an electrical current, bouncing their mutual excitement and giddiness back and forth between them. Max was relieved to know she was having fun, and was finally able to relax. That was the gamble, dating as an empath: either he knew for sure it was going well, or he knew it wasn’t and wished he could be more ignorant.

“The orange one is Pumpkin and Spice, her brother, is the grey one. Daddy bought them for me what… eight years ago now? I’m sorry about them jumping on you like that. They’re a bit of a handful,” her grin grew bashful as she remembered the sight that had greeted her when she had descended the stairs. “And nope. I grew up in Nottingham. My family owns some land there.” OK, so some land might be a bit of an understatement. Wollaton Hall was pretty well known and not exactly small. She smirked at him.

“Ah, ‘owns some land’. Heard that phrase before.” He chuckled and shook his head. He really should have guessed by the pristine white house in Hyde Park and the giant bag of galleons at the auction that Rowena was from a well-off family. Was it just him, or was everyone around him raised on a sprawling estate? When Max moved into the Wizarding World he unknowingly fell into a Jane Austen novel, where everyone had land and a title.

“Did you ever watch Batman? The Dark Knight Rises one?” she asked.

His eyes rolled upwards as he tried to remember. “Was that the 2018 one, or the 2020 reboot?”

“Well, anyway I grew up in Batman’s house.” She giggled. It was always a source of amusement that the film director’s had chosen her home to serve as the fictional hero’s. “Wollaton’s lovely though. Maybe, if you’re lucky, I’ll take you there one day.” He grinned when he felt her squirm with discomfort at the accidental implication. “It’s open to the public most of the year so don’t worry, I’m not already inviting you to meet the parents.” She added hastily before quickly changing the subject to him, “What about you?” she asked."I feel like I know even less about you." 

“Oh, god, I’m weird.” He bit his lip as he thought about what to share. There were enough depressing pitfalls in his life story that could easily pop their giddy first-date bubble that he wasn’t sure where to start. He shrugged. “Well, you’ve lived in Batman’s house so maybe that’ll even us out.”

“I was born in France, grew up in Béziers until I was about nine, when we moved back up to London. My mum’s side of the family are all muggles, so I didn’t know about magic until we moved back and I met my dad.” He quickly decided to keep it light for the first date, skipping over the Black Watch, Demon Wars, and kidnapping that happened within the first few years of getting to know his paternal family. “After that I kind of went back and forth, living in London with mum and at Hogwarts with dad.” He shrugged. “Eventually they both got married and started their ‘real’ families. I’ve got a brother on my mum’s side and two sisters on my dad’s. Mum’s still in London, they’ve got a flat in Hackney. My step-mum and sisters live in Godric’s Hollow. None of our houses have names, and Batman’s only been there on the television.” He laughed.

“Do you have siblings?” He asked, turning the subject back over to Rowena as they walked. He squeezed her hand lightly when he asked the question; holding her hand was nice, she was a good height for it. When he held shorter women’s hands he felt like he was declaring them the winner in a boxing match. “And are your family muggle or magic? You navigate London too well to be pureblood, I share a flat with Eden and try as she might she sticks out like a sore thumb in muggle places.”

[Rowena Jones]

“Oh, god, I’m weird,” Max said, and Rowena nodded in agreement, grinning cheekily.

“I won’t disagree there,” she said. He was freakishly tall and he appeared to like her despite everything. If that wasn’t odd, she didn’t know what was.

“Well, you’ve lived in Batman’s house so maybe that’ll even us out.”

Wait! “Are you calling me weird Max Kameren?” she asked, raising her eyebrow at him in challenge. “I’m not weird. I’m… uh, special.” She could have slapped herself. Yeah Ro, not weird at all. He’s really going to want to kiss you now, you and all your specialness. “Ignore me…” she mumbled, blushing and glancing at the sky to avoid the smirk that was sure to be on his face. She was thankful when he continued.

“I was born in France, grew up in Béziers until I was about nine, when we moved back up to London. My mum’s side of the family are all muggles, so I didn’t know about magic until we moved back and I met my dad.”

Ooh, France. She loved France. And to top it off, she spoke perfect French. Thank you mum. She couldn’t resist a little bit of showing off. It was Max after all. It wasn’t a normal day between them without a little bit of competition.

“Ah bah, tu parles francais alors? Je suis tres jalouse que tu t’es habité la bas. Je suis allée que en vacances. Le Sud de la France est manifique, tellement mieux que Paris. Les champs de lavande, le vin, le soleil… it’s very different from England. Do you ever go back?”

“Eventually they both got married and started their ‘real’ families. I’ve got a brother on my mum’s side and two sisters on my dad’s. Mum’s still in London, they’ve got a flat in Hackney. My step-mum and sisters live in Godric’s Hollow. None of our houses have names, and Batman’s only been there on the television.”

“Oh well, now you’re just making fun of me,” she scowled, nudging him playfully. “Batman is a very cool roommate I’ll have you know. He let me drive the Batmobile. And I even got to wear his mask once.” She managed to keep a straight face for all of three seconds before the giggles escaped and she leaned into Max. This was fun.

“Do you have siblings?”

“Nope. It’s just me. Yours must all be quite a bit younger though right? What’s that like?” Rowena didn’t resent being an only child. Her parents had smothered her in enough love that she never felt lonely, but as with all unknown things, she was curious to what it was like to have brothers and sisters.

“And are your family muggle or magic? You navigate London too well to be pureblood, I share a flat with Eden and try as she might she sticks out like a sore thumb in muggle places.”

“My parents are completely muggle. And I might not be a pureblood but I am a Lady. Maybe I should make you start calling me ‘Your Ladyship’ at work.” She grinned. “Anyway, daddy loves it, me being a Witch. I swear half the time he invites me over, it’s just so I can fix all the things he manages to break, or unlock the door to some room that he can’t get into. You forget sometimes just how special it is when you’re surrounded by it every day.”

She paused, taking a second to glance around and just relish the closeness between them. She’d been worried that maybe she’d imagined the possibility between them and that the reality would be stilted conversation and irritation but it was so easy. She cocked her head to the side as she looked back at Max.

“Do you ever stop to think how odd it is that Muggleborns just accept magic? We grow up thinking it’s this imaginary thing, and then suddenly find out it’s not and get taken to some magical castle and learn how to cast spells.” It was something that she was always curious about. She’d been lucky, young enough not to question the oddness of it and with friends who, being wizards themselves, had recognized her raw magic. But it couldn’t be that easy for everyone.

“I just always find it strange you know? Not that you’re muggleborn… I guess technically I might not be either…” she said, the realization just hitting her. She supposed she could be halfblood, pureblood would be unlikely, but not knowing anything about her birth parents meant anything was possible. “How did you first find out about magic?”

[Max Kameren]

“Ah bah, tu parles francais alors? Je suis tres jalouse que tu t’es habité la bas. Je suis allée que en vacances. Le Sud de la France est manifique, tellement mieux que Paris. Les champs de lavande, le vin, le soleil… it’s very different from England. Do you ever go back?”

“Pas vraiment. Ma mère était à Béziers parce que ma grand-mère était malade. Quand elle est décédée, nous avons vendu la maison pour retourner au Royaume-Uni. Je suis allé à Paris un été pendant Hogwarts, mais pas à Béziers.” He replied in French, struggling with his accent. Max was a bit rusty; he rarely spoke the language anymore, even with his mum. Peter and Liam didn’t speak it at all, and would both get irritable when they spoke French to each other. “Also, of course you’re fluent in French. There’s nothing I can do that you can’t try to one-up me on.” He rolled his eyes in mock exasperation, shaking his head. “Do you have siblings?”

“Nope. It’s just me. Yours must all be quite a bit younger though right? What’s that like?”

“Like being a third parent.” He sighed. “Liam’s fine, he’s eighteen now. Since dad passed I spend a lot of time at Godric’s Hollow, trying to help my step-mum with Evie and Violet. It’ll be easier now; Evie just got her Hogwarts letter, so they’ll both be at school most of the year.” He wasn’t sure how it would be on her, though. All three of the Kameren children had been raised partially at the school by their parents; the first year going to Hogwarts after Curse’s death was tough on Violet, and Evie was even more sensitive. He worried about them when he was away, like any big brother would.

“And are your family muggle or magic? You navigate London too well to be pureblood, I share a flat with Eden and try as she might she sticks out like a sore thumb in muggle places.”

“My parents are completely muggle. And I might not be a pureblood but I am a Lady. Maybe I should make you start calling me ‘Your Ladyship’ at work.” She grinned. Max scoffed. “Anyway, daddy loves it, me being a Witch. I swear half the time he invites me over, it’s just so I can fix all the things he manages to break, or unlock the door to some room that he can’t get into. You forget sometimes just how special it is when you’re surrounded by it every day.”

There was a slight, comfortable lull in the conversation as they walked, their joined hands swinging with their steps. Max took the moment to savor in the warmth of their auras together. This was remarkably easy, being together. Max usually struggled with people, especially one-on-one where he could read their every move. But this was just… nice. He couldn’t remember the last time he was this at-ease around someone.

“Do you ever stop to think how odd it is that Muggleborns just accept magic? We grow up thinking it’s this imaginary thing, and then suddenly find out it’s not and get taken to some magical castle and learn how to cast spells.”

“I suppose,” Max mulled the idea over in his head; it hadn’t really occurred to him that way. “I suppose some of them may not accept it, we just don’t hear from them. There are certainly muggles that don’t accept the idea of having magic family members, too.” That was probably a little too specific to not sound let on it was personal, he mused; Peter and Liam, on top of not liking French, also weren’t big fans of Max’s abilities or the world that came along with them. It left him a little estranged from that side of his family.

“I just always find it strange you know? Not that you’re muggleborn… I guess technically I might not be either…” she said, the realization just hitting her. “How did you first find out about magic?”

“Well - ” He shrugged “ – You met my dad. It was impossible to have a conversation with him without it being apparent something was going on.” Tall, gaunt and scarred with prematurely white hair, there was no denying the ethereal nature of the late Hogwarts Headmaster. His father hadn’t bothered hiding his magical side when they met from the very beginning. “My mum had a rude awakening, though. My powers came in earlier than usual, but all I knew how to do was become invisible and make objects spontaneously combust.”
He chuckled as the memory came to him; starting the curtains on fire accidentally, then disappearing when it was time for punishment. Amelia had given Kris an earful that day.

Max steered them out of the park and across the street, where they resumed their course on the sidewalk. "Couple more blocks, sorry. What about you? How does that process work, with two muggle parents? My mum learning was mostly just her yelling at my dad about property damage costs."

[Rowena Jones]

“Well - ” He shrugged “ – You met my dad. It was impossible to have a conversation with him without it being apparent something was going on.”

Rowena nodded, thinking back to her time at Hogwarts. Her Head of House had been a formidable man, but Max was right. There had been no hiding the inherent magical aura that had surrounded him.

“My mum had a rude awakening, though. My powers came in earlier than usual, but all I knew how to do was become invisible and make objects spontaneously combust.”

She laughed, the sound pure and joyful. “Of course you would display that way. Such a menace. I bet you caused your mum no end of grief,” she said, picturing a young Max causing mischief. The imagery was pretty damn cute.

"Couple more blocks, sorry. What about you? How does that process work, with two muggle parents? My mum learning was mostly just her yelling at my dad about property damage costs."

Rowena smiled at him, squeezing his hand softly. “It’s ok. I’m enjoying this. Just talking without an emergency getting in the way or nosy nurses trying to catch the latest gossip,” she said. “And urm, well mum told me that I used to make toys move by themselves. And the electricity used to go haywire around me. I think it freaked them out a little then. I was only five and they had no clue what was going on. They actually ended up homeschooling me because of it. You can thank my mum for the French by the way. She was very particular about languages.” She smirked again, satisfied with the earlier conversation and her ‘win’.

“I actually found out about magic when I was eight. Somehow I ended up surrounded by these huge rainbow bubbles when I was playing with a friend in the gardens. I guess I got lucky in that he was actually from a magical family. When our dads came to see what was going on, his dad was able to explain it. I didn’t really care what it was at that age. I just thought it was amazing even if I couldn’t control it. That part was a little frustrating.” She grinned ruefully. There’d been more than a few tantrums when she realized she couldn’t summon bubbles whenever she wanted.

“Daddy was a little bit more cautious but we were invited around to their house and we spent that whole Summer being introduced to the Magical World. I don't know. My dad's a bit eccentric anyway and it explained everything so they both just accepted it. Hard not to when you're faced with flying broomsticks and owls and like anyway right?” She sighed, fondly remembering those days. “I don’t think I’ve ever been as truly happy and relaxed as I was that Summer.” She couldn’t help but think that she was feeling pretty relaxed and happy right now.

Rowena looked around at the street they were walking down trying to figure out where Max was taking her, but gave up pretty quickly.

“So where exactly are we going Mr Kameren? You’ve been pretty secretive about this whole thing.” she asked, curiosity getting the best of her. She didn't usually do well with surprises, but for Max... well she was wiling to let him have control for now.

[Max Kameren]

Max listened intently to Rowena’s stories, smiling happily as her words mixed with the rhythm of their steps down the sidewalk. Rowena sparked alive when she was talking about her family, it was great to see her this relaxed. Knowing her through Hogwarts and at work, Max would never have known this laughing, imaginative, witty woman was the same one he’d been arguing with in the lift a few weeks prior. He squeezed her hand affectionately, almost as a reminder to himself that this was really happening. Max Kameren on a date with Rowena Covington, and he really, really liked her.

When she finished their story there was a momentary lull in their conversation as Max focused on the route, trying to reverse-engineer how to get to their destination from Rowena’s place instead of his own. He stopped them on a street corner for a moment, looking around for familiar landmarks.

“So where exactly are we going Mr Kameren? You’ve been pretty secretive about this whole thing.” she asked, curiosity getting the best of her.

“I’d tell you, but we’re already so close that it might as well be a secret you wait for at this point.” He smiled down at her, amusing himself by holding the knowledge over her head. He saw a familiar green awning and headed for it, pulling Rowena along by the hand with renewed energy. “There it is! Sorry, I think we took a more roundabout way than I usually go…”

Flatt & Sharpe’s Rare Books and Sheet Music was a small building with colorful diamond-paned windows across the front; it looked centuries old, the last vestige of an old neighborhood sandwiched by two newer apartment buildings. The narrow shop was two stories, with a small 1-level apartment above it. Though it was old, it was well taken care of, with pristine green awnings over the windows with impeccably painted letters.

“This is the best muggle book shop in London.” Max stated it as a simple fact: for him, it was just true. “I warn you: they have an odd selection and their organization is maddening. But I will guarantee you will find something here you weren’t looking for but absolutely need, every time.” He grinned as he opened the door for her.

Though it looked quaint from the outside, Flatt & Sharpe’s was a mile long once you stepped inside. The opposite wall was so far away it was nearly impossible to see with all the bookshelves. The black-and-white tiled first floor was mostly boxes and shelves, marked by highly-specific musical genre: there was no ‘Classical’, but there was Baroque, Chamber, Avant-Garde, Renaissance, and many more lining the shelves. Hanging over all the signs was a long, dark-blue banner that read WELCOME SKIFFLECON 2038 MUSICIANS.

Max cocked his head in confusion at the banner, only for his questioning look to be answered with the distant sound of a guitar playing skiffle behind one of the shelves. He turned to Rowena. “I didn’t bring you here just for Skifflecon, I promise. The first floor’s all music. The second floor is where the books are.” He took Rowena’s hand again and guided her up the wrought-iron stairs sloping up either side of the walls, nearly hidden by shelves of music.

The second floor could only be described as a hanging library; four iron catwalks zig-zagged through the air, meeting at a staircase in each corner. The space between each catwalk had tall floating cages stacked high with books. The cages were so high that each catwalk had rolling ladders to reach books higher-up. There was no organization; there were so many that the wrought iron shelves could barely contain them, the thought of ordering them was a lost cause sacrificed decades ago. Decades upon Centuries of antique literature sat in piles, waiting to be sorted through.

Max let go of her hand and leaned on the railing of the catwalk, taking it in. He was suddenly nervous again. What if he’d read her wrong, and this wasn’t Rowena’s thing? He nodded towards the shelves, arching a brow at his date nervously. “Is this alright?”

[Rowena Jones]

“I’d tell you, but we’re already so close that it might as well be a secret you wait for at this point.”

Rowena rolled her eyes in mock exasperation. “You’re lucky I like you…” she said grinning. Damnit. Her dad had been right. Once they’d stopped bickering, Max and her had something. He was witty and smart and actually kept her on her toes. What had been a source of irritation now served to build up the tension between them and Rowena was loving it. She’d always known that her work social balance was completely lopsided and that her likeability had suffered for it. She’d just never cared enough to prove people wrong. If they didn’t understand that work and discovery of knowledge was of the upmost importance to her then, really, she didn’t need them in her life. Her last relationship had kind of proved her point.

But then came Max. Suddenly it felt like North was South, East was West and her heart could be felt in every part of her body. And she wanted him to see her. All of her. Not just the sharp spiky parts that were so often present at work and that had dominated during her time at Hogwarts, but also the softer edges like when she was giddy on chocolate, or curled up with her cats and an interesting book, or riding her horse across the grounds at Wollaton Park feeling freer than she ever felt anywhere else.

“There it is! Sorry, I think we took a more roundabout way than I usually go…”

She started as Max was suddenly pulling her towards a small but remarkable looking building, increasing her stride to keep up with the Potions Master. She tilted her head in interest to study the shop, reading the name with interest. Flatt & Sharpe’s Rare Books and Sheet Music. He’d brought her to a bookstore?

“This is the best muggle book shop in London.”

Yes, yes he had. She didn’t know what she’d been expecting but as soon as she saw their destination, it was the perfect choice. She laughed at the certainty in his voice. “That’s quite a claim,” she said still giggling, but if Max thought so, then her interest was piqued. What made this bookshop so special?

“I warn you: they have an odd selection and their organization is maddening. But I will guarantee you will find something here you weren’t looking for but absolutely need, every time.”

She smiled brightly at him as he opened the door for her and she walked in. Her senses were immediately overpowered by the dusty smell of old tomes mixed with the sweet twang of a guitar in the background and her smile grew as she took in the sight before her.

“I didn’t bring you here just for Skifflecon, I promise. The first floor’s all music. The second floor is where the books are.”

She looked at him amused, jumping a little at the shock that once more went through her at his touch when he took her hand again. Was that always going to happen? They walked up the wrought iron stairs and appeared amongst towers of books. Rowena’s gaze was transfixed as she stared at the cages, her mouth open in surprise. Hogwarts had somewhat dimmed her amazement for most things. After all, once you’d seen talking portraits and moving staircases, there was little that could surprise you, but once again, she was being reminded that the Muggle world was capable of amazing things too.

“Is this alright?”

Rowena’s eyes were growing wider with every second that she took in the sheer amount of books that surrounded her.

“Is this alright?!” she asked, turning to Max, her amber gaze shining with joy. “Max, this is the most amazi-… it’s wonde-…” Not finding the right words to explain how in awe she felt right now, she reached up to kiss him on the cheek, her own cheeks tinged pink as she rested her hand on his chest and looked up at him. “Thank you.” She said, before being unable to resist glancing around at the shelves again in wonder. “You do realize you might not be able to get me to leave right?”

Though she was loathe to leave the closeness of Max, the books were calling her name. Tearing herself away, she walked towards one of the shelves, her fingers trailing delicately along the spines. Voltaire, Morris, Wilde, Austen, Stoker, Tolkien, Poe, Sanderson, Shakespeare, Atwood, Adams … she delighted in the wide array of genres and authors all the while itching to organize them.

“I can’t believe this has been so close to me all this time and I’ve never been here,” she said, pulling down a leather bound book to flick through the pages. She glanced back towards Max, “How did you find this place?”

[Max Kameren]

“Is this alright?” Max’s concern slowly grew into a wide grin as he watched Rowena soak in their setting. He loved taking people here; it was always so unexpected by the front facade. He loved getting to experience Flatt & Sharpe’s for the first time again through new people.

“Is this alright?!” she asked, turning to Max, her amber gaze shining with joy. “Max, this is the most amazi-… it’s wonde-…” He laughed, relieved as he felt her joy. When she leaned in to kiss him his arm found her waist, resting around her lower back as they took it in. Her touch was electric; their connection was intoxicatingly strong. This was new to Max and, honestly, it scared him a little. “Thank you.” She said, “You do realize you might not be able to get me to leave right?”

He smiled, enjoying just watching her wonder as she perused the books. “We’ve got all day. They’ve let me stay late in the past, too.” Max couldn’t resist any longer and followed Rowena into the first catwalk, brushing past her to examine a stack he hadn’t seen before. “I told you, they’re the best.”

“I can’t believe this has been so close to me all this time and I’ve never been here,” she said, pulling down a leather bound book to flick through the pages. She glanced back towards Max, “How did you find this place?”

Max couldn't resist joining in the search of the shelves; he brushed past Rowena in the narrow catwalk, stopping in front of a newer stack he hadn't seen before. He took a moment to reply as he examined the spines. "My step-dad was in a barbershop quartet. We came here once when I was a kid for sheet music, and I spent the next few years trying to track it down again. I was obsessed." He carefully pulled a book out from the bottom of the pile he was searching, reading the back. "Found it again a couple years ago. I think one of the staff might be magic, I find potions books here every now and then." Max returned the book to the top of the stack when he was satisfied and continued looking through newer inventory.

After a few moments of them silently searching, Max looked up to watch Rowena read spines. It was nice, sharing this with someone. He liked seeing Rowena like this; focused and energized, but also happy and relaxed. The piano wire was nowhere to be seen. He returned his gaze to the bookshelves, hoping she hadn't noticed his stare. "So, what do you read besides medical papers? Find anything interesting?"

[Rowena Jones]

"My step-dad was in a barbershop quartet. We came here once when I was a kid for sheet music, and I spent the next few years trying to track it down again. I was obsessed. Found it again a couple years ago. I think one of the staff might be magic, I find potions books here every now and then."

Rowena nodded as Max talked to let him know she was listening even as she devoured the titles around her. Her fingers itched to organize them and she unconsciously started moving books around alphabetically even as she started building piles by her feet. At the mention of Potions books, she perked up. She was always on the lookout for new knowledge when it came to spells.

Her gaze kept switching between the books in front of her and Max beside her. She would never have thought she’d be here with him of all people. Hell, she hadn’t even thought she’d be dating any time soon. Her last and only real attempt at a relationship had ended on such a sour note and only confirmed that work was often more important to her than socializing. She’d spent so long wanting to hex Max as he frustrated her at every corner that she hadn’t even considered that those angry emotions might have actually been an instinctive reaction in an attempt to hide from something a lot scarier.

Whatever it was between them was scary. There was no denying that. She had never felt such electricity before. Never wanted to make someone smile as much as she wanted to with Max. Part of her wanted to run away before it got to be too much. The other part wanted to spend as much time as she could with him, picking his brain, laughing with him, sharing secret hidden places like this one with each other.

She blushed furiously as she caught his eye briefly during one of her staring sessions and quickly ducked her head behind a book. It was too easy to forget he was an Empath sometimes. She sighed as she thought about the whirlpool that he must have been feeling from her since he’d come to her house this morning. She hoped that he’d felt her happiness most of all. He made her stupidly happy. At least he did when he wasn’t challenging her at work or keeping her from sleep in between shifts. She smirked at the memories. Even then she admitted that the insults took on a different meaning once you took away the anger.

"So, what do you read besides medical papers? Find anything interesting?"

She flushed. She didn’t know why but she was always embarrassed to tell people what kind of things she liked to read. Perhaps it was because she thought they expected her to only read works of non-fiction, or classics. She did read those and did enjoy it, but if she was honest, when she was comfortably at home, blanket, cats and hot chocolate for company, she would always pick Sanderson or Martin.

“I really like fantasy,” Rowena mumbled, “I suppose it’s to do with my fascination of Muggle Magic interaction, but it’s just fun to see how far the imagination can go, see how close some authors get to the truth. I like the escape. And you never know, maybe some of it is also true. I mean, our world was fantasy to me before I knew better. Who’s to say that there isn’t more than what know? If witches and wizards exist, who’s to say there isn’t a Middle Earth, or Narnia, or Westeros?” She shrugged, “I don’t know. I just love the idea that there’s still more out there for us to find, new discoveries and puzzles. It’s silly I know.” She smiled bashfully at him, finally putting down the book she had been holding on a pile to her left.

There were several stacks of books building up next to her as she pulled out title after title and after a quick glance placed them in a pile. She might not be able to organize the whole place but maybe… just make it make a little bit more sense? She put several books back into the cage, nodding in satisfaction.

“Ooh, Le Petit Prince!” she exclaimed, picking up the book and opening it, skim reading the first few pages. “I love this story,” she grinned at Max as she put it aside, adding it to a small pile of books that were definitely joining her library back home. “What about you? Anything good?”

[Max Kameren]

“Who’s to say that there isn’t more than what know? If witches and wizards exist, who’s to say there isn’t a Middle Earth, or Narnia, or Westeros?” She shrugged, “I don’t know. I just love the idea that there’s still more out there for us to find, new discoveries and puzzles. It’s silly I know.”

It was a compelling argument, though Max had never seen it that way. On the contrary. He didn’t read fantasy often anymore, finding himself comparing and contrasting it to their reality more than he was getting into the narrative. He continued their conversation without looking up, pulling another book out of his stack to examine. “Have you ever read a fantasy book and wondered if the author’s one of us? I always get that nagging feeling when it feels too close to home, makes it harder to read.” Max had found a couple books like that in his life, and it always felt exploitative. Mining the Wizarding World’s history to sell to muggles as fiction.

“Ooh, Le Petit Prince!” she exclaimed, picking up the book and opening it, skim reading the first few pages. “I love this story,” she grinned at Max as she put it aside, adding it to a small pile of books that were definitely joining her library back home. “What about you? Anything good?”

“Yeah, actually. Found a recreation of Alfred Wallace’s diaries with a biography all in footnotes.” Max held up a yellowed book with a disintegrating cover. “It’s ancient, but - Hey! No organizing!” He grinned teasingly, putting down his books and crossing over to where he caught her alphabetizing. He took her hands in his and held them together so she couldn’t move. “Part of the fun of this place is searching through the stacks to find something. You don’t want to take that magic away from the next customer, do you?” Her irritation with him mixed with his joy in teasing her. There was static between their palms from the attraction, and Max found he couldn’t resist anymore. In one motion he let her hands go, leaned in and kissed her.

If holding hands was electric, kissing Rowena was a lightning strike. The shock of it surprised Max, and for a minute he lost his grip on his empathy. For the length of a kiss, Rowena could feel the world around them the way Max did: her own emotions, the quiet auras of the muggles below them, and Max’s own complicated feelings. As soon as he realized what was happening Max broke away, gently pushing back and leaning against the bookshelf. “Sorry! Sorry!” He pulled his empathy back, still startled from the surprise impact the kiss had on him. He was trying to convince himself that this was always how it worked when he was with a woman, but he knew better. For some reason his empathy was stronger than usual, and it was throwing Max off. He tried to smile reassuringly, hoping she didn’t see his confusion and misinterpret it. “Sorry.”

[Rowena Jones]

“It’s ancient, but - Hey! No organizing!”

Rowena paused, hands reached out for the next book, glancing at Max with an embarrassed grin. “But Max… just a little bit?” she begged. Her own library at home was both colour-coded, alphabetically and chronologically ordered. Ask her for any book and she could tell you exactly where it was. She thrilled at his touch as he took her hands, even as she itched to keep sorting the tomes, glowering in irritation.

“Part of the fun of this place is searching through the stacks to find something. You don’t want to take that magic away from the next customer, do you?”

She was just contemplating that idea, about to maybe concede he had a point when Max dropped her hands, moved closer and kissed her. Her eyes shuttered closed as their lips touched and she suddenly felt like she was standing in the middle of a storm, electricity running through her body, and an onslaught of emotions battering her.

“Sorry! Sorry!”

Max pulled back and Rowena's eyes opened, brows furrowing in confusion. Why was he apologising? That had quite possibly been the most mind blowing kiss she'd ever had. She had felt everything, been swept away in a whirl of sensation...unless...

Nothing really daunted Rowena Covington. Being a Healer and working in Spell Damage meant being faced with a lot of odd shit. Add to that the unexpected return of the Flux victims last month and well Rowena was pretty sure she could remain unfazed in any situation right now.

Enter Max Kameren who just had to do something to prove that theory wrong. And then do it twofold.

First by kissing her. Rowena’s fingers rested on her lips, still feeling the tingle his lips had left on hers. A small smile danced around the corners of her mouth as she relished that feeling. She wanted to kiss him again.

Secondly, by the sheer insanity of emotions he felt. She was still dazed by both kiss and the rush of emotions she had just experienced but she had no doubt about what had just happened. Somehow she had felt Max’s empathy. It had felt similar to the touch she felt when he had tried to influence her emotions in the past but times a million. Suddenly she hadn’t been aware of what she felt it was so mixed with the confusion of his emotions and the aura’s of those around them. It had been a maelstrom. That part she could probably do without.

“Sorry.”

She waved away his apology, still trying to sort through her own feelings. “Is it- is it always like that?” she asked hesitantly, standing awkwardly in the narrow walkway. She took a deep breath as she methodically categorised the emotions she had just felt, sorting through what she knew to be hers. She cocked her head and glanced at Max. “Huh, is that how you feel about me?” she asked, arching a brow towards the Potions Master.

[Max Kameren]

“Sorry.”

She waved away his apology, still trying to sort through her own feelings. “Is it- is it always like that?”

That wasn’t the question – or reaction, really – Max had expected. His eyes rolled towards the ceiling as he tried to calm his nerves and figure out how to answer. “Kissing someone? No, not usually. Being in my head? Yeah, kind of. Different emotions, obviously.”

It had been a long time since Max had had a slip-up like this, letting someone see into his aura. To keep control, Max was essentially constantly using Legilimancy to keep others from being affected. If he let his guard down like he just had, anyone could see into his head. He’d read in some scarce literature about other Empaths once that most of them moved to remote locations and kept away from people. Max hadn’t given in yet, but he could definitely understand the impulse. Relationships were hard enough; empathy made it even more complicated.

She cocked her head and glanced at Max. “Huh, is that how you feel about me?” she asked, arching a brow towards the Potions Master.

“I – well – yeah, I guess.” Max was suddenly flustered. The ability to play it cool was ripped out from under him: she knew how he felt now. “I mean, you’re not so different, really.” He grinned, taking a tentative step towards her. He was a little afraid to touch her again, but her held her at arm’s length. “Alright, I want to try it again. One more time, so I can prove I’m not a terrible kisser. I know what I’m getting into this time, so I won’t be caught off guard.” He laughed as he leaned in carefully, kissing her one more time. This time there was no literal shocks, just the good-old-fashioned fireworks of kissing someone new.

He leaned back and let her go, smiling down at her. “See? Not so bad. But, no. No organizing.” He smirked, picking his disintegrating book back up off the shelf.