Watson Stroud

Pieter was feeling far from himself and he was taking some time to adjust to the new him. He was certain he wasn’t the only one though. So many people had been affected by this flu and Pieter was wondering just when the government would actually do something about trying to rectify this and to hopefully restore everyone’s magic. He knew it was not going to be easy nor would it happen immediately. He was just wondering when they actually get on with making everyone better.

Admittedly he was lost without his magic. He had used it in so many facets of his life. He didn’t necessarily need it at work Burt he still used it because he had grown up using it and that included from the time he had been a teenager, to his wife leaving them to now with Otten Holdings. He had tried to track her down, to at least get some explanation from why she had left their children. He had been strong during that entire time but her lack of accountability had played on her mind. Pieter was always determined to know why or how but he was unable to get closure when that was concerned.

He thought that today coming to the Alley would at least give him some comfort and not remind him so much he was not so much a wizard right now but closer to a Squib. He never held any opinion of them since he had not really met anyone but then again he was never selective when it came to his work. As long as they could trade or smuggle in artefacts that was all he looked out for.

The wizard dressed in a pale grey suit and his wand stashed up his sleeve made his way down the cobblestone before he came to stand outside the Apothecary. He rarely traded them there had been some occasions, if only he had brought in some rare potion ingredients with some of his deliveries. Those times were few however.

Pieter opened the door and immediately the smell filled his nostrils. The man headed down of the aisles with his hands folded behind his back looking over what the shelves had to offer.

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Wonder Week!

 

Morph

It was still a shock. He had had a whole month to get used to the idea of losing his magic, but that was nothing to how it now really was. How was he supposed to do anything? He had never before felt so lost. At least there had been Healers around all the time until recently but now that they had decided that he was “healthy”? Since was having no magic considered healthy? He was a wizard, for crying out loud. He couldn’t be expected to live a life like a Muggle. It was simply not possible. He didn’t know how. He wasn’t supposed to after all. He was a trained magician, and not a bad one at that. How could this have befallen him out of all people. Especially as it had spared his wife. And what was the matter with her anyway? Why hadn’t she visited him at the hospital. After all that he had done for her, why was she this ungrateful? Even now, she was avoiding him. Maybe she was scared of infecting herself. He had really expected more from her. As his wife, she was supposed to be there especially in a crisis. He couldn’t understand how she could be so heartless. If her situation right now was stressful in any way, there might be some explanation why she would be this insensitive. But if anything, she was better off than ever (or at least since the registration started but details!). It couldn’t be that bad anymore at the Ministry as most of the Aurors were as sick and as magicless as he was. And she was perfectly healthy and magical. So what was her problem? Everything was going fine for her while he was reduced to such a pitiable state.

Maybe she’d at least have the good grace to brew him a revitalizing potion. It’d be far cheaper than buying the finished product. If only she weren’t at the Ministry now or wherever so that he had to go outside, walk all the way through London with his reduced health — their was a tube or something the Muggles used, but no, no, he was not that Muggle yet to try something that sounded this scary, and go to the apothecary in Diagon Alley. He might also should buy Floo Powder once he was there. He’d end up poor now that he couldn’t Apparate. It was really a horrible time.

He walked along the shelves, picking up the ingredients he needed, when another man appeared before him, apparently occupied in the same manner as he was. There was something familiar about him… Was this the man he had traded with about ten years ago when Roz had excavated that necklace near Tbilisi? What had been his name again…

Pieter was very reliant on his magic but he knew that going forward he was going to survive, they all were. He didn’t want his children or Melanie to go through this but they were more stronger than he perhaps gave them credit for. A fault on his part obviously. He knew he had to give his loved ones more benefit. They were more used to living in the muggle world than he was, or rather with muggle things than him. But his life was completely filled with magical things. That again, was his fault. Still he knew he could adapt, he had always adapted to things changing around him. He had had to adapt when he lost his mum and Melanie had become his father’s wife and then had to adapted when Nora had left them. He had been able to successfully bring up his children on his own but he had Melanie on hand to help and she had been more of a mother to than than Nora would ever be. He didn’t even know if Brandt and Beth still thought about her but he if they didn’t he would be surprised. He, himself wondered why he could never track her down. Pieter had once thought that his father may have had something to do with her disappearance but he didn’t want to dwell on something so gruesome like that for too long.

He had made a name for himself and had created some very rewarding partnerships when it came out his business. He of course made he sure he only won out of those partnerships. He had to win. There was no question about that. Peter was very careful about the type of business relationships he made. They had to definitely serve him well and he was careful to make only ones that were rewarding to him. Maybe that was selfish of him but Pieter had always strived for the best in life and for those that were important to him. He knew that his children had their own lives now but he still wanted to give them the best things.

Today though, he was looking out for himself and making sure that he could find something for himself. He didn’t Know if any potions he was going to find in here going to help him feel better but at least was without the flu now. Pieter rarely fell sick, so to have come down like that had really hit hard. Looking between the different shelves, nothing stood out for him yet, but he did find another person looking at him. He looked to the left at the man, he looked familiar but it was not someone who had seen in years, if they had met before. Making his way over there, Pieter tilted his head and held out his hand. ”Pieter Otten, its’s been some time…”

Watson didn’t understand. Why him? Why out of all people on this planet did he have to fall sick and lose his magic? Why not Roz, who wasn’t allowed to perform magic anyway? And she couldn’t have complained about not being able to go to work either. She could have staid at home — he’d have taken care of her when he was there and during the rest of the time it wasn’t too bad to be alone at home, no matter how unwell she might be — or even gone to the hospital. They had treated Muggleborns there, he had seen it with his own eyes. Being sick or at work, for Roz it wouldn’t have made any difference. She didn’t get paid and she didn’t enjoy being cursed by the Aurors — which he understood. It was a tiring thing to do and he agreed that she would be far more useful doing something she was trained for. But he didn’t have anything to say in that matter. Another fact that she seemed to like to ignore. Like she seemed to ignore him all the time recently, not even witnessing him in the hospital. He didn’t understand, he hadn’t done anything to her. Yes, he had lied about bringing her in for registration, but he didn’t have a choice. Otherwise they would have had to flee, and then he’d have lost so much money. It had been for the family’s (and therefore Roz’) benefit that he had made her register. And that was over a year ago. It was really childish of her to be still cross because of it. He had said that he was sorry, she should be mature enough to accept an apology.

It was sad that he had reached a point where he was glad that she hadn’t told the children about how he had taken her to the registration. They were just like her in that respect. They wouldn’t have understood that it had been the only possibility. He didn’t know what he had done wrong in their education that they didn’t have the sound judgement he had expected from them. Reason didn’t seem as common as he once thought. It was absolutely ridiculous, but over the summer holidays, he had sometimes looked at Vi and been almost at the point of doubting his actions. She seemed so breakable and depressed. But he had done the sensible thing business-wise. A miserable face shouldn’t make him question himself. She’d grow out of this phase. After all, she was his daughter. She couldn’t be all sentimentality. And it was nice to hear at least someone comfort him over his loss of magic, even when it was only via letters.

The flu had made him enter the apothecary as it seemed to dictate every step of his lately. And anyone in here was likely there for the same reason like the vaguely familiar looking man, who now approached him. “Pieter Otten, of course,” he replied back. Yes, this man did deal with ancient magical artefacts, he remembered it. “Watson Stroud. About ten years I think? We met because of some Georgian artwork?”

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Words: 526

There was so much at stake when it came to Pieter not having his magic but he had never been the pessimist. Well, there may have had his doubts once upon a time when Nora had first left because his children had been so young but there had been a time where he had doubted anything since then. Overall, Pieter saw the good in every opportunity and where possible, he sought to gain from any opportunity that came his way. That was not to say that he was greedy, he had family to provide for and even more so now that they were all without magic. It was to his benefit that some of his contacts had not lost their magic and they could still apparate from place to place. The borders were still closed however and this limited Pieter in really moving merchandise as freely as he would like to. But the man was adaptable, he had to be circumstances like this. He hardly had any choice really.

Surely he wasn’t the only man out there with a less than desirable job that had lost their magic? He accounted for it and he realigned his duties based on what he was able to do. But the biggest concern of all for Pieter was Melanie’s health. It was with no doubt she had been severely affected with losing her magic and he worried about each day, particularly when she had to head to Hogwarts. He knew there was no poin in ever asking her to give it up because that would be something she never do and he would never force her to give up something she was so passionate about. But he could only tell her to no push herself and then trust her to carry it through. When it came to his children, there working out their own ways to live without magic and he was proud of them. He was a little envious of them because they had more experience in dealing with muggle objects, travel methods and practices than he did but he was not against learning anything new. When it came to the pureblood and muggleborn division that was present in the UK, he hardly took any notice of it because he did not get involved in something he honestly had no interest in. It was well known amongst his family, that his interests lay elsewhere.

Still as he went about day by day, he missed his magic greatly. Well, he was hardly to blame where was concerned. He had been raised to use his magic wherever possible and had been constantly told that he was superior to others, namely muggles. However, there had been some times where he had to employ muggles to carry out his work for them. They had ways of smuggling that some magicals had not yet heard about and again, that worked in Pieter’s favour.

When it came to him running into familiar people, he couldn’t avoid and so he embraced it even if they were out in public. This present instance in the apothecary was hardly bothersome. ”Yes, Watson, it was because of some Georgian Artwork that we met last time, how are have you been? Have you fallen victim to this epidemic too?”

What was most unfortunate about the vileness that was his wife’s indifference was that there was really no other option but to pay the apothecary to prepare the potions against the flu symptoms. It was such a horrible waste of money, as Roz would be perfectly able to brew them. Maybe she would even manage with her prop-wand from the Ministry, it was a ridiculously easy thing to concoct. And he was always so incredibly charitable that he’d let her use his. Not that it was any use for him now, without magic, but it was still very generous of him, especially as the Ministry would hardly approve. It wasn’t like they would spy on him, though, or not likely enough not to let Roz do whatever she wanted at home. It was annoying, very annoying, but it wasn’t like he had any choice. He had to show her somehow how much he deserved her gratitude. He really hoped she’d realize this too soon. She couldn’t expect of him to accept her existence if she was of no use. If he weren’t as far-sighted as he was, no one could blame him if he were considering eliminating her for good. It couldn’t be expected from anybody to put up with so much eccentricity. But there might come a time when the Muggleborn registration would be considered illegal, and he needed her to prove his innocence.

And then there were the children. They’d be unhappy if they lost their mother again. That was a painful lesson he had had to learn, even if not to understand, during the time they had thought Roz dead. If it were just for Arthur, that might be okay. He had been unbearably moody, but his marks had improved. Vi on the other hand… As sentimental and as silly as it was of him, he didn’t want to put her through these feelings again. He had considered whether she’d also be so devastated if she knew for certain that her mother was dead, but in the end he couldn't say that it might not be even worse. He just couldn’t tell. He knew it was pointless to think about something as fickle as feelings and especially, he shouldn’t worry. Just, somehow, when it was about Vi’s, his own feelings were disagreeing with his common sense. He could only hope that once she had graduated Hogwarts, he’d learn to think about her as rationally as about Roz. As about an adult. How had his little baby girl so suddenly become an adult?

On the other hand, adult also meant adult work. One day, she’d follow in her mother’s footsteps, and he’d be able to profit from her insider knowledge of archeological digs like he had back then from Roz' when he had done business with Pieter Otten. “It’s really been some time, I thought you lived in the Netherlands,” he said, sighing as the conversation turned to his horrible fate. Well, obviously Otten had also lost his magic, so he would hardly be the best person to complain to — if things continued like this, he’d have only Vi left for pitying him. She was a good girl after all, he could rely on her. At least on her. How had he become so abandoned by the one who was supposed to subordinate everything in her life to his well-being? Roz was such an unnatural woman. It was so deeply unfair, he was unable to stop being bothered by it. “Yes, I have,” he replied. “It seems like half of England’s been hospitalized last month. It’s a miracle our world hasn’t collapsed in itself.”

Pieter was proud of his family and what he had done from a business sense but he knew now that he had fallen sick and the borders were closed he had to thread carefully. He thought he was skillful enough to manage that. He still wanted to be in business for when he eventually regained his magic. He knew that was a definite. The ministry while not up to the standards of the Dutch one would not leave so many of their people without magic for the rest of their lives. That would definitely spell the end of the wizarding world in the UK. He ddin’t think the ministry would want that since it was the amongst the oldest magical population in the world and there was so much history here. Pieter would just have to be patient when it came to them regaining their magic.

That was easier said than done. His Children had their jobs to consider, Melanie had her work and her students to fawn over and he worried about all of them. Yes, he had to worry about the future of his business. While it didn’t take much magic to trade items around, he still needed to operate between different dealers in Europe and with the borders closed, it was impossible. He knew the muggle borders were open, he had heard those airplanes of theirs were still travelling. He had to come with a contingency plan until he was allowed to operate on a more continental Europe. He would have to restrict his business to the UK and Ireland. He still had a lot to explore when it came to this area. Having only moved here not more than a year ago, he still had a lot to see.

Pieter hoped that he would be able to manage to keep his business going during this time. He had to find new avenues and continue to provide for his family. Yes, he knew they could look after himself, but if anything, his father had taught him, it was that the head of the house was responsible for the family’s well being and that role fell on him here. They had been accustomed to a certain lifestyle and he wanted that to continue for Beth, Brandt and Mellie. They deserved it.

Running into an old acquaintance came as a good sign for Pieter. ”Well, you aren’t wrong there, I did live in there until a few months ago. I’m in Wales now, my fiancé ias a professor at Hogwarts” he smiled at her, he would happily talk about how proud he was of Melanie but he was sure that Watson didn’t want to hear about that. ”I only hope the ministry here doesn’t let that happen” he knew they wouldn’t but that still didn’t stop his wondering, to some degree. ”What are you doing for work these days?”