She used to be mine

She's imperfect, but she tries
She is good, but she lies
She is hard on herself
She is broken and won't ask for help

There were things in life that did not change, unlike people, and one of those would always be the Ministry of Magic. Her mother had worked here and she had worked here and here it was nigh on a year later and things were very much the same. Sure, people and places would change, and she would see the world around her change on a daily basis but here she was, almost completely certain that the one thing that would never change anything would be the Ministry. She had been here many times over the course of her life, for this or that. Usually some kind of paperwork for a portkey for her work, but those days were sadly over. Izzy would be a homebody from now on unless something somehow changed. Her son was more important than any mystery that she had yet to solve and it made her happy to see him smiling and standing on his own. He hadn't started walking. Not yet.

Malachai was now Seven months old, and he was standing on his own, crawling and trying to cruise on his own. It hurt her on some level, but she was so happy to see her little man develop. He looked so much like her, but so much like his father. He had lighter skin than Link did, but they bore those same fair eyes but he had Izzy's bright and brilliant smile. He was her world and there was nothing that she would not do and not give up for him. His father was not as present as she thought that he would be, he had another woman and another child to be around as well as his career and he could not just jump and come over to take care of their son, just because she needed a break.

Life didn't work like that and she was trying to accept that. She had let him go and she was moving on with her life, though she had not yet started actually dating it did not mean that she was lonely. She had learned with Link that there was no such thing as happily ever after, and love did not fit in a box. She had broken her own heart by loving him, and she should have known from the moment that he had told her about Zoe that he would never have chosen her. It was the past now, and she had other things to focus on, like their son and her job.

Today was a simple day, one that pretty stressed free and while there was a lull in the department she made the decision to come and get a coffee in the Atrium. Though she was still limiting the amount of coffee that she consumed it no longer affected her son. Malachai had pretty much decided that he wanted the bottle more and real food. Another cut deep, but she was still pumping. She was loving the improvement that pregnancy and later breastfeeding had done to her body. She stood waiting quietly in line and pushed her hair behind her shoulder when she noticed that someone was trying to cut in front of her. "Um, excuse me?"

tag: @hazel words: 537 template by eliza @ tb & thq

For most of her life Hazel had always had her parents looking after her and looking out for her, they would make all the decisions for her and provide for her. However, when they had left after the muggleborn registration had been enacted, she had to learn how to do things for herself. She and Louise had still been in school when that had happened so as far as them having a place to stay for most of the year and having their meals provided, it was fine but they had gone on to stay with their grandparents during the holidays. Hazel had set out getting her own place as soon as she graduated last year. Louise could choose where she wanted to stay, while she was the older sibling, she didn’t want to get into an argument with her sister about living arrangements.

She knew she had made the mistake of letting Zeke go but that was something she had only realised in hindsight. It was too late, he had gotten married and had a baby on the way. She hated herself for that. But she knew without all that, he wouldn’t have Lorcan. She knew that Lorcan came first for him and even more since he had lost Teulia. That couldn’t be changed. Death was not reversible. She couldn’t bring her back for him. Hazel knew that Zeke would not stop loving her and she didn’t want him to nor did she want him to feel guilty for it. Lorcan looked like his mum as much as he did Zeke and they had created him together. She was always going to be part of his life.

Hazel knew that Zeke would do everything he could to make sure that Lorcan knew about Teulia. She had stuck by him, being his friend because in all honesty, even if she had pushed him away romantically, she still wanted to be his friend. When they had rekindled their relationship, she had made sure he wanted it, because she had been prepared to give him as much time as he needed to mourn Teulia. But he had reassured her that he wanted her and she wanted him in return.

Hazel had no qualms at all about being there to look after Lorcan, with them working at the opposite ends of the day, it worked well. Zeke was often at the ministry during the day and Hazel worked nights in the pub. She had thankfully picked up even more shifts now since it was the summer and she was off college for a bit.

Today she had the full day off and she thought of bringing Lorcan here before the pair of them headed over to the park. He was still too young to play on most of the play equipment but he was easily amused by the babies. Hazel took the opportunity of being in the ministry to pick up a coffee from the atrium and to grab one for her boyfriend too.

On one hip she balanced Lorcan who wore a pineapple onesie and on her opposing shoulder, she had his baby bag. As she stepped into the line she heard someone speak to her, looking up, her eyes widened. ”My apologies, sorry, didn’t see you there” she responded quickly as she stepped around and took her place behind the other witch. ”You excited to see daddy?” She asked the baby boy softly, on her hip who responded with a toothless grin which made her smile in response.

Words: 587

She used to be mine

She's imperfect, but she tries
She is good, but she lies
She is hard on herself
She is broken and won't ask for help

There were things that she tried to not let bother her, things that she knew she was better than, lives that were more important than her own. She didn't understand why there were things that she couldn't just change, but she found that she was learning from history. She was learning from the people and places around her just as she had done at digs, and the Ministry was a beast that she knew all too well. Her mother had been here for so long, she had been someone who had been in and out if this place all of Izzy's life. She didn't just respect her mother and people who worked here, she respected the Minister. No one was perfect but she had seen things about that woman that made her respect her more than anyone else in the world. Strong women liked her were who she wanted to be like, and it was one of the reasons she had let Link go.

No matter how much she loved Link, no matter how much she wanted to be with him, she could not have done so and kept her dignity. He had loved Zoe and though she felt betrayed and hurt that he picked Zoe she was letting it go. She had to, she just had to. He was not good for her, he was not good for the life that she wanted to lead, or for her son. She did not limit the time that Link saw Malachai. She did not challenge him on anything when it came to that, but she refused to let him back in her life. It would never be what might have been. It would never be what should have been. Her time with Link would always be a bittersweet memory of the things that were never to be. They were not supposed to be together, but their son was a firm reminder of the life that she wanted now. A life that was happy and full of things that she would be able to give him.

Her son would learn what Izzy had learned, the honor of having a single mother. She was happy, happier than she had been in a very long time. She smiled at the younger witch. "How old is he? My son is seven months."

tag: @hazel words: 388 template by eliza @ tb & thq

. Taking on the role of being a mother and looking after a child that wasn’t hers wasn’t what Hazel had expected if she was ever to get back with Zeke. But this was her reality and she was making sure to take each day as it came. There were hard days when things were just tough but together they made it through. She made sure to be there for both Zeke and his son. She loved both of them. SHe had fallen in love with Lorcan so easily. He was a carefree soul most days but even he had his days. It was only recently because he was starting to teeth that he got extra fussy but at least there both magical and muggle means that made it easier for them all.

With her work and her university she managed to balance it all and make sure she didn’t slack off. She wanted to do well with her studies, she hadn’t been able to shake her Ravenclaw ways just yet. Not that she saw anything wrong with it. Zeke just liked to poke fun at her. She didn’t mind. He was her first love and would be her only love, this was likely. She knew that he was the guy for her even when they had broken up. Obviously Hazel couldn’t travel back in time and change her mind about breaking up with him. They wouldn’t have Lorcan now, otherwise.

She was determined oft be there for Lorcan as he grew up and guide him and raise him and to make sure that he knew that while Hazel was raising him, eh had to know where he came from. While she had never really known Teulia, she knew that there would be a point in time when Lorcan would likely ask why he didn’t look like her and she would prefer to be honest with him.

She would never hide the fact of his real mother. She had been lost in the most tragic way and he hoped that he never blamed himself for that. Hazel knew that Zeke would speak to him about if it every came up.

Today Hazel just wanted her stepson to have some fun and she knew he enjoyed the park and she would appreciate the fresh air. She would just like some coffee first before they headed to the Auror Office. ”He’s six months, do you want to say hello Lorcan?” she asked the baby in her arms, kissing the top of his head. She watched as he looked at the woman in front of them puzzled before he pointed at her. ”I guess for now, that’s his way of saying hello”[/b