"Miss has an owl." Hermione's elf, Zavi, he thought she had said, popped in and told Sabrina. Thor watched the two witches' facial expressions and the small furrow of Sabrina's brow.
Then Hermione nudged her gently and the witch took the scroll and he watched the leap of bright purple magic from the scroll to his sister before her hand had touched it and it opened with a flourish.
Resting in her hand as if it were a proclamation, her hands holding it from the top and bottom. Naturally too, as if it were normal for her to hold a wooden scroll handle and read such an ornate looking thing. Deciding he would think about the witch duelling and what Josh had meant with that look later, he pushed it aside.
He looked to Hermione and watched her mouth something slowly and thought it was George. He grinned then and looked back at the serious face reading the ridiculous letter. Then he was laughing lowly and Sabrina looked at him over the huge letter. She rolled her eyes and he felt as if it would be alright. Clearly the two witches were a unit, and he wasn't being excluded or he didn't think so.
"The man is trying to drive me mad. He has definitely written it on his stupid bucket list. I blame you for that Hermione. Listen to this. 'Rina, I know only Glenda gets to call you that but you can't glare at me through this contact medium. Do you think the three salamander livers I put in instead of two yesterday will have consequences? I know you are busy but if you could just send word of your opinion I will not express the usual lack of overt gratefulness. G.'" Sabrina's voice was as aggrieved as Thorfinn had ever heard and her face was going red.
Josh made a gruff sound and he could see him trying not to laugh. Then he looked at the witch beside his sister who looked pained before she giggled and then was being beaten with the ornate scroll that had abruptly become a regular looking piece of paper. He was laughing then. It was hilarious and the incredulous look on Sabrina's face was priceless. Clearly this was good for her. She looked like she had in the picture of her with Sinclair. How she had looked years ago when he tormented her, as she called it.
"Just wait until it blows up." Sabrina said darkly and tried to compose herself. Both witches were clearly trying to reign in their emotions and Josh laughed outright at the huff when the paper turned to a puff of smoke and sparkles in her hands.
"I told you Rina." Hermione said this consolingly and Sabrina looked at her then.
"The man is insufferable. No woman will ever take him." His sister said wrathfully and he managed to calm down.
"He doesn't have many problems with that." Hermione said apologetically and his sister huffed again.
"I will make him pay for this. Took me two days to get to that step and then he begged to help me. Like a fool I let him. Even though he had pushed for this at the meeting and we overruled him. Fred might help me, if it's a big enough mess." He wondered why this exploding potion didn't seem more alarming and Hermione looked thoughtful. Then nodded in a way he thought meant the other Weasley twin might, might slip her up too, hard to tell. Watching them was interesting and reassuring. He didn't think there was much Hermione didn't know about his sister, what she did or got up to.
"What is happening with everyone else?" Thor asked into the not uncomfortable silence. Then both witches looked to Josh who didn't speak, didn't react at all and didn't meet his eyes. So he looked to Hermione who took a breath and then spoke.
"The wedding is in two months, Josh's I mean. Pansy is eloping next week. No one knows that of course. Draco is chasing, or being chased by, Felicity Morten who has come from Zurich for an exchange between our ministries." She offered and he blinked.
Then looked to Josh who did meet his eyes and some things showed in the dark brown ones. This was going well. Josh was pleased and didn't seem as uncertain as before. That was good. His friend was like a silent version of himself. As he was when others were there, strangers. Those outside of his circle.
"Big to do then?" He asked and Sabrina made a small face but Hermione smiled.
"Yes. It changed Pansy's mind and Ginny has mentioned something small at her family home or the Escape. It will be elegant and lovely though. Daphne is gifted and dedicated." Hermione answered. Sabrina caught his eye at the end and he could see what she thought. It wasn't either of their things but Daphne was happy and they thought Josh was so onward.
"Here then?" He asked and they all nodded. Nothing else was said and he could see the exasperation on both witches faces and clearly understood that too. As if his friend had nothing to say about his own wedding, to their very good friend. Maybe this was all it was. His friend was an idiot and emotionally stunted.
"That should be fun." Was his dry comment and he looked over to Josh, who grinned subtly at him and knew his friend was actually pretty alright. This part wasn't but the rest of him was and that was relieving.
"Sin's first game is the end of next month. Ravenclaw, and he is playing seeker. Corbin made the team so they were going to play chaser together and it made the end of his Toulouse lessons more acceptable but then tragedy struck. Fawcett insulted a seventh year Hufflepuff witch on her fluffier shape and spent a week being hounded by her housemates. His vertigo has to heal naturally and Pomphrey says three months of no flying." Hermione spoke easily and he understood her flickering eyes. From him to the other two and her cup. It was hard to listen when she did meet his eyes but he wanted her to and so did the magic. He could feel his magic flicker toward her when she did.
"That was unwise. Now he has to deal with his own house." He said and all three nodded their agreement. It wouldn't be pleasant to deal with an unhappy house of snakes.
"He wrote and I sent him a few things." Sabrina put in and he grinned at her sly glance to Hermione, who had a soft smile on her face.
"The biggest news. Well most recent and most exciting though." He could hear the thrill in Hermione's voice and looked at her. Ignoring wanting to touch her and trying to just enjoy the anticipation he could see on her face.
"Anastasia North finally asked Blaise if he was going to man up or if she should give up." Thor blinked at that, having never heard the name, and looked to Sabrina. His sister looked the picture of shock. As if this were totally unanticipated and she hadn't known.
"Hermione! What happened? Where? You didn't tell me." It was nearly shrieked and he watched the curls dance around his witch's face as she laughed. Then her smile was smug and Sabrina sat back expectantly.
"You know I've been trying." Hermione began and Sabrina looked at him and gave a nod. This was a true statement.
"She is perfect for him. I mean she is devastating and brilliant, attended Beauxbatons but is a perfect blend of eagle and snake. Her glances are nearly incinerating and I know she doesn't want to sleep with me. We met her in France a few times. Then I started trying to make sure she would be places or dropping by where she would be when we would be out. Casually and alone or he uses me as a shield. So this was at least a year solid of seeing her more and getting to watch him try not to pant after her. She would leave or we would go home and he would rhapsodize and curse about her legs and her eyes. The way she moved when she danced and the time he saw a bead of sweat slide between her breasts." Her tone was dry and wistful. He couldn't help the laugh and Sabrina caught his eye again, something warm there and he knew Josh was wrong. Even if he hadn't meant they were sexually intimate, this didn't seem like a threatening kind of intimacy at all. Not to him at least, that thought could wait.
"Finally she wrote me two weeks ago and requested I come to her home in Provence for a coffee. I went and wasn't sure what she would say." Sabrina was riveted and nibbling a cookie while she completely faced Hermione, who knew she had the witch and looked as excited as he had ever seen her.
"So we sat down and she served me cannoli and espresso. She is perfect for Blaise in every way. Then those amazing nearly black eyes met mine and she asked me if he was in love with someone else. It was so heartfelt and I could only encourage her to beard the snake in his hollow. So we arranged for her to crash our weekly dinner at the hotel and I gracefully relinquished my seat to her and sealed them in as she had requested. Then went home and sat on my couch." Sabrina stood and held a hand up in a signal to wait. Hermione obliged and tucked her legs up then watched the witch summon wine glasses and a bottle.
"No time for sangria. We can have that with Pansy when she knows." Sabrina seemed happy and Hermione clearly was. He caught Josh's eye and could see the speculation.
"Have you met this Miss North." He asked as Sabrina sat back down and Josh nodded.
"And?" He asked, wanting his friend's opinion.
"She is as Hermione says." He looked from the serious face of his friend to the witches who nodded confirmation and he wondered at the witch who deserved such overt praise.
"What did he say when he came through? And was his shirt mussed?" Sabrina looked like she expected gossip and Josh shifted, not liking this and he realised another thing. This wasn't private enough for Josh to speak like this. Openly and without the public filter and he didn't think these two did it with him.
"He was mussed and his eyes were huge. I poured him a whiskey and watched him pace around. Then he pitifully said. 'Cara.' You know how he does Rina? I smiled at him and then he grinned and we danced around the room before I settled him down and demanded details. Basically she ate the salmon I had ordered and told him what she wanted. I love her for it. Sent her the huge gift basket I had been preparing. He would acquiesce and accept that whether he was ready or not, she was and so he would rise to the occasion. Stop teasing her and accept the invitation in for a drink after. She expected owls and to be seated with him at our private gatherings. She would be ready the next night at seven." Her smile was all satisfaction and he felt his body react. Not sure if it was the magic or just how she looked and that he knew she was his.
"I'm so happy." Sabrina crowed and then grinned over at him and resettled herself beside Hermione.
"He has been the best. Blaise is the best friend or uncle or whatever. He deserves everything." Sabrina's tone was steely and Hermione nodded. That was Gryffindor phrasing and he wondered what else she had taken from the witch she clearly adored and trusted.
"That's most of it I think." Hermione finished and then gestured to Sabrina.
"Claudia is working in Magical Creatures at the Ministry and it's alright. I don't think it's right for her but she doesn't hate it and her mother approves. Mark has become a great friend and I think maybe Claudia might take him up on the offer of a separate dinner one night but she hasn't so far." Sabrina offered and he waited. Then raised a brow at her continued silence and caved. Looking to the witch who was grinning and he knew she understood he was asking about Wood.
"Cam." The name was said with a small nudge and Sabrina blushed. Then her eyes flashed to Josh before back to him.
"He is good. Doing most of the estate things while Oliver finally gets to play again. He's growing some northern varieties of plants and doing a few other things too. He caught a fourteen pound trout a few weeks ago and brought it to the Escape to show me." He listened and watched his sister as she spoke. Then looked to the witch who caught his eye and nodded once. This was still going on then. Her easy tone and steady eyes were reassuring. The affectionate tone when speaking of a fish was telling too. Alright then.
"We can have dinner or do something less formal if you want. Just let us know." Hermione offered and he felt the relief at the offer. He wanted to meet this wizard and see them together, see these two interact with their circle. Meet the people he had spent years hearing about.
He watched Sabrina look to Hermione and get a nod. Then she shot a glance at him and then Josh before looking back at his sister. Sabrina nodded back once and then looked to him.
"Could we have dinner at the Tower? It's not completely finished, Hermione can explain but it's done and I want to eat in the small family dining room in our wing." The words were clear but her tone was small and her eyes were uncertain. He didn't know what to expect at his home but this was important to Sabrina. Clearly she wanted this to happen and he couldn't see why not.
"Yeah. What time is it?" He didn't know and wasn't sure he cared.
"Four. It's four o'clock. We could eat at six." Sabrina looked between him and Hermione. He just nodded and looked to the witch who looked proud of his sister. She looked to Josh expectantly and after too many seconds, he did too.
"Are you coming?" He asked casually and waited while Josh scanned him carefully. Nothing showed in the way of answer and eventually he gave up.
"The Tower is fine and we will be four." He didn't make it a question but Hermione nodded and Sabrina sat back into the couch. His sister's smile was small but there and he thought that enough for this moment. More than he had any right to ask for.