A job offer?

[Elisabeth Fairfax]

Look who's alone now

It's not me. It's not me. Those three Wise Men, they've got a semi by the sea. Got to ask yourself the question, where are you now? Got to ask yourself the question, where are you now?- - - -

It was the weekend, the students from the school were allowed to go down into the village of Hogsmeade for the day with their school friends. It was a clear and cold Autumnal afternoon, the trees had already begun to shake off their summer leaves, in some cases literally. All along the wide avenue of the village the trees bent in the breeze, everyone now and again one would shiver as though from cold and send a flurry of leaves over the ground to be picked up by the wind and danced along until they landed in the accumulated wet of the gutter and stuck. The sky was clear and cloudless but the weak sunlight was not enough to cast any real warmth but the day was bright and the sunlight caused an uncomfortable glare from the pavement, wet with the rain from the night before.

It was two weeks before Halloween, Hogsmeade, normally a quiet and sleepy little village was alive with students as the joke shop and in particular honeydukes were packed to the doors, and Lissy Fairfax watched with a smile as the owner of the book shops which stood between the two packed shops and looked forlornly at the crowds as he swept the barren front stoop of his shop. Students had little interest in books on days like this, as much of a book worm as she had been in school, on the days when she went on days with friends she had been exactly the same, walking with Simon, Jude and his sister all of whom she looked to as friends. Without them she would have been a solitary creature that had spent her free days exploring the hills behind the village, or trying to get into the shrieking shack.

Lissy had really only intended on taking a leisurely walk this morning, the shop had been rather warm and confining, the early morning sunshine had only served to make the air inside closer. She had left the shop girl in charge of the store and headed out into the day to try and take the air before she fainted away all together. She pulled her shawl around her shoulders to guard against a little of the winters chill that had already snuck into the air. Lissy was content to walk alone, to enjoy the privacy and pleasantries of her own thoughts - not that her thoughts were pleasant any more. Since Simon's death and her entering morning. Her trip up to Hogsmeade this morning had only been perfunctory -she had found papers, sent from the manager here to Simon about hiring a new seamstress, a girl in the village with a reputation as a more than competant with a needle.

Lissy returned from her own musings and looked off in the direction of the path from the school. She spotted a blonde hair coming in the opposite direction and when he got close her large eyes raked over her appearance. She was pretty woman, of a similer age to Lissy who she recognised from around the area and the description in the letter. This must be here! The village was not yet so large as to have so many people of the same description.

'Excuse me,' she said in her thick northern accent, 'Do you mind me asking miss if you are Miss Beauregaurd?'

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[Adella Calendar]

The changing seasons always left Dell in wonder and sometimes a little melancholy. Summer had faded fast and autumn was upon them, cool, refreshing air evident in the morning as she walked to work. Summer was Adella's favorite however, and she missed the hot weather and all of the balls and the carnival. Summer always seemed to be the busiest season and she liked to be busy. Just part of the reason she had found herself a job, she supposed.

Bentley had already detoured down his side street to head to his workshop, leaving Dell to wander down the street just a few blocks to her place of work. Lavender Tatting had hired her on very quickly after her graduation, though she had inquired at Gladgrags as well. Dell had been hoping her first season after graduating would have had more prospective matches for marriage, but it seemed she would have to wait a little longer. It wasn't the end of the world, though many girls her age would see it that way.

She supposed being raised solidly middle class had something to do with it. Her mother had always told them there was absolutely nothing wrong with working. Dell could save up for when she would be married and therefore wouldn't have to completely rely on her new husband for money. It would be nice to have some pocket money anyway. Dell was an independent girl, though she secretly harbored many girlish fantasies of being swept off her feet by Prince Charming, she was content to be on her own for now. Eighteen was young still, she had plenty of time to court and get married.

She had a few minutes before the shop opened because Bentley had to be to work earlier than she did. Her mother insisted it was safer if the two of them go in and come home at the same time, which for the most part was how it worked, fortunately. Dell just enjoyed having some one on one time with her closest sibling.

As a voice interrupted her thoughts, Dell turned to the woman who spoke with a smile. "Yes, I am, do I know you?" Adella wasn't sure if she recognized the woman in the dim morning light, but she was curious to know how the woman knew her name.

  

[Elisabeth Fairfax]

Look who's alone now

It's not me. It's not me. Those three Wise Men, they've got a semi by the sea. Got to ask yourself the question, where are you now? Got to ask yourself the question, where are you now?- - - -

It could never be said that Lissy Fairfax lacked a work ethic - she was a hufflepuff after all and they were unafraid of toil Her family had worked hard all of her life, both of her parents had worked in the carding rooms, she and Nicholas had even joined them in the mills for a time, working in the machine rooms gathering up the pieces of cotton that flew from the machines. That was until her mothers health and father's promotion precluded it and render her and Nicholas need to work unnecessary. Instead they had played and revelled in the mills, seeing how hard the other children had had to work and knowing they were lucky by comparison. The fluff on her mothers lungs which had weakened her to a point of unimaginable frailty was common among the poorer classes, indeed girls that that had joined the factory at the same time as her, had died from the effect of the fluff, the perennial coughs, the tumours and growths that snuffed out their lives in their tenderist of ages.



They were dark thoughts but thoughts she could not help but imagine when speaking with a young woman who also worked for her living. It was hard to admit that in her year of mourning gladrags had been allowed to slid in terms of her priorities and the attention that was given to it. There had been no new hires since before Simon died - the manager that had been allowed to look after it had been too timid and disliked the idea of hiring anyone new without the say so of Mrs. Fairfax but her grief made her disinclined to care. Now, well now was the time to change that.



'My name is Lissy Fairfax, I am the owner of Gladrags, my husband's family founded the business. I believe that you had come to the shop looking for work.' she said by way of preface introducing herself and her concern in this matter. 'I appreciate that it was some time ago but I believe that you came to my shop looking for work. If you are still looking I would like to offer you a job.'

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[Adella Calendar]

Dell supposed she should have known that. She had looked into Gladrags just as she had looked into Twilfit and Tattings. Unfortunately for Miss Fairfax, Lavender had gotten to her first and Dell was now quite comfortable with her job.

"I'm afraid I've found employment elsewhere." She admitted truthfully. Della supposed she should at least find out what Miss Fairfax would offer, but she honestly thought that even if she was offered more money, she wouldn't be able to leave Lavender at this point. Dell had been so graciously accepted into their business and even into their home, providing care for the Tatting children every now and then, that she wouldn't be able to leave them with a clear conscience. Plus, she was a creature of habit and now she was comfortable in her place of work; she didn't want to have to start all over again.

"I appreciate your offer however." She smiled warmly. It was kind of Miss Fairfax to follow up with her, even after all this time. Dell had wondered what had gone on with Gladrags. The gentleman she had spoken to originally seemed very keen to hire her on when she spoke with him, but nothing had come of it, so she just assumed they had filled the position with somebody more qualified. That was another reason Dell was sure she couldn't leave Twilfit and Tattings; Lavender had taken a chance on her, a girl with no experience really, and just adopted her into the every day routine of the shop. Lavender had taught her the tricks of the trade, as it were and Dell was loyal to those who helped her out. It was her true Hufflepuff nature showing through.

Dell had talent when it came to sewing and alterations, but she wasn't a pro yet, still wasn't, but Lavender was taking the time to teach her and that was something of great value to her.

  

[Elisabeth Fairfax]

Look who's alone now

It's not me. It's not me. Those three Wise Men, they've got a semi by the sea. Got to ask yourself the question, where are you now? Got to ask yourself the question, where are you now?- - - -

Lissy nodded her understanding but could not help a disappointed sigh. æI am sorry to æear to that' she said and then realising how it sounded she amended quickly. æI'm sorry I didn't mean it like that ah mean I'm disappointed that you cant come to work fo' Gladrags but pleased that you æave a job.' she flustered before letting out a huffing breath her shoulders slacking obviously at her breach of protocal. It was the sort of speech that had her looked upon with disdain in æpolite' upper class society. She wasn't good at those sorts of things.



She should have known, it had been months ago that the girl had come to the shop looking for work and had she not been so remiss then she might have secured another competent member of staff. It was frustrating but then she was not capable of thinking in those terms at that time, so great had her grief been over Simon. Even Jude's calming influence and dedicated attempts to draw her from her grief had been ineffective. She had locked herself in her room for days, refusing to see just about everyone except for her mother and Simon's. She could hardly hold the decision to work for her competitor against Ms. Beauregaurd it had been entirely her own fault for letting things slide û she could have or rather should have allowed Jude or even Nicholas to take over the running of the shops in London and Paris instead of neglecting them. Hogsmeade in particular had been neglected, it had been their newest acquisition, just built when the town was created and since Jude didn't want to leave her and Nicholas' status as a muggle all but precluded his working there.



It was a situation that could not have been avoided but it did not make the fact that they had lost a good worker any more palatable. Lissy looked at the young woman for the frist time properly. She had noted the name but had not connected it to the girl a few years below her in school. Why would she have, she had been too wrapped up in her own life to notice the girl a few years her junior. æExcuse me Miss, you were not per'aps in Hufflepuff house?' she asked

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[Adella Calendar]

Strangely relieved that Miss Fairfax did not seem too terribly put out by her position at Twilfit and Tattings. Honestly, Dell had just be relieved to have found a job. The fact that it was one she was pretty good at was just a bonus really. She had always figured that she would be stuck in a job she didn't like if she didn't find a suitor right away. Having some kind of income was important. Even with Bentley and her mother working, they were still solidly middle class and even though they weren't trying to change their social class, it was nice to have enough income to stay comfortable. With such a big family, everything helped.

"I understand, that's really sweet of you to say." Della gave Lissy a smile. She felt her ego inflate a little, considering that apparently she was a sought after employee, but being the Hufflepuff that she was, she just let it slide right off her back. It was nice to know that perhaps if she ever needed a new job, if perhaps, Merlin forbid that Twilfit and Tattings closed, she may find a new job rather easily. Dell had always thought toward the future like that.

"It was a time-sensitive, necessity." She explained. "Fresh out of school, no job, no courting offers," She chuckled genuinely at herself. "I took what I could." On a shrug, Dell chuckled again when Lissy asked if she was a Hufflpuff. The woman did not look that much older than herself, it was possible they had been in school together. "I was in fact." Dell had always considered herself a true Puff. There was no debate by the Sorting Hat when Dell had popped up on that stool, it was straight to the Puff table. "Were you a Hufflepuff yourself, Miss Fairfax?" She didn't remember the other woman at school, but that didn't mean anything. Though now that she took a good look at the Gladrag's owner, she did look familiar. Perhaps they were closer in age than she anticipated. Dell hadn't really associated with many girls older than herself.

  

[Elisabeth Fairfax]

Look who's alone now

It's not me. It's not me. Those three Wise Men, they've got a semi by the sea. Got to ask yourself the question, where are you now? Got to ask yourself the question, where are you now?- - - -

Lissy understood those pressures, she had been faced with a similar prospect herself entering into her final year of Hogwarts, sure that when she left school she would be forced to take on a position working within the mills like her parents had, the same work that had led to her mother's illness or if she was very lucky she might well have become a governness, making ú60 a year, almost twice what her father was able to earn in a year. That had been when she had been keeping her affections for Simon a secret, with less than a few weeks left before the end of school they had admitted their feelings for one another and married shortly after graduating from Hogwarts. So she understood the fear that must have possesed this other young woman, even if she had never found herself as far along the road as Ms. Beauregaurd had done.



A smile broke on Lissy's features at the girls affirmation, pleased that she had not indeed imagined the other girl and that they had in fact known one another. Or rather that for some years they had shared the same common spaces. Lissy was fairly sure that she was all but unrecognisable from those days. 'Yes I were, or rather I was.' she corrected her northern accent betraying her. 'I were a few year ahead o' you I think, I was an 'iggins then.' she gestured between the two of them. 'Although then I were rather poor, I was born working class but I married well, to Simon Fairfax who were a few years ahead of me too. I don't reckon you would 'ever have met 'im or Jude Hardcastle his friend.' Lissy explained, almost sure that most people in town knew about the man, who was not her brother, living with the young widow and her mother.



There were undoubtedly plenty off rumours about the dark older wizard, but he was her childhood friend, they had played together in the mill in Manchester. At the time she had not known that the two boys had been from magical families, that Jude and Simon were purebloods, and that when they were sent off to school that it was Hogwarts and not Eaton or something as she had assumed.

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[Adella Calendar]

So Miss Fairfax had indeed been her housemate. Dell usually considered herself very good with names and faces, but if they had never really interacted, then she would not have known the other woman. Once Della had found some close friends, she hadn't strayed too far from her little circle. She was an outgoing girl, but once she got comfortable, she tended to get lazy. That wasn't to say that she started ignoring everybody else, she was still friendly, but to make the commitment to another friendship was not always easy to her. Della had found very few true friends, girls she considered close and they were very close indeed.

Shaking her head when Miss Fairfax mentioned a couple of unfamiliar names, Della replied, "No, they do not sound familiar." Those who had quite a few years on her, no matter how friendly they were, always left her feeling a little nervous. Even though there was no real reason for her to be jumpy around them, Della had always been wary that people were judging her. It was an unnecessary self-conscious habit of her's that she had never quite been able to drop. It had only gotten worse in her first year as a true adult, a woman of a marrying age, but with no prospects. It made her wonder if there was something men found undesirable about her, or if she was just unlucky in love. Either way, it was a little depressing.

Though she did not want to be rude, Della needed to get heading to work soon. She was never late for anything and she liked to keep it that way. Punctuality was something Stella Beauregard had drilled into her children and the wrath of her mother was never something to be looked forward to. Not that she would really have to worry about it in this case, it wasn't as if Lavender was going to call upon her mother to tattletale that she had been late to work. Still, tardiness was not a good habit to fall into. Judging by the large clock tower though, she had a few more minutes for chit chatting. It would be nice to know others in town, after all. She and Miss Fairfax could in all honestly not be that far apart in age, if they were not to be co-workers, they could at least be friends. That awkward, comfortable phase of her life was long gone and though all of her close friends were still around, life had gotten in the way and they were not always available to her. "I do miss school." She admitted freely. School had been a simpler time. Schoolwork was much less daunting than real work because your life depended on real work. The money you made determined how you lived and there were rarely second chances, though in school if things went wrong, you were given the chance to change things. That was what school was all about, making mistakes and learning from them. As an adult, those mistakes were often more serious and had longer-lasting repercussions.

  

[Elisabeth Fairfax]

Look who's alone now

It's not me. It's not me. Those three Wise Men, they've got a semi by the sea. Got to ask yourself the question, where are you now? Got to ask yourself the question, where are you now?- - - -

Lissy was not surprised that the two barely recognised each other, she had spent so little time in the dorms when she had been at school. Her closest friendships had been with Jude and Simon, being both Gryffindors she had spent a lot of time in public areas of the castle, returning to the common room as late as possible in the evenings and usually heading straight to bed. In her last 2 years when the others had completed their education she had kept largely to herself with a few female compatriots with whom she had passed her time. It was probably a failing on her part, she should have probably spent more time with the other people from her house and from her year. It had partially been her fault, and at the same time she had been viewed by many as the upstart poor girl who had the audacity to consider among her friends, 2 wealthier boys and who, in the end, took a rather eligible poor blood male from the pool of potential matches, a fact which was not received well by the richer girls in their year.



She had not expected Della to recognise the names of either Jude or Simon, they had been older than Lissy, so they had certainly been older than Della- setting side the fact that the two had been in different houses from Della and Lissy. 'Yes indeed, sometimes I think that tha' school might 'ave been the easiest thing I eve' did. 'ah mean at least then there were no need to worry about things like runnin' a business nor the livings of some 200 people.' Lissy said with a laugh. She still found the running of Simon's families affairs daunting.

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[Adella Calendar]

It seemed that at least Miss Fairfax had her life together. Dell could hardly say the same. She was eighteen, she should be looking for a husband, participating in as many parties and social events as she possibly could, but with her job it made it difficult. Unfortunately, with the eldest two Beauregards now out of school, they needed the extra money, especially considering the twins would be going into school within the next year and would need new school supplies. Dell also had the sneaking suspicion that if she was sitting at home the whole time she would be very bored.

"I could not imagine what it is like to run the business." Working itself was extremely hectic, though Adella appreciated the routine of it all. It was very much like going to school, except you were getting paid to go. She had learned quite a few new things since starting. Sewing was something she had always been naturally good at, without really having to work at it, but her work was a challenge and she enjoyed it. Lavender was a very good teacher so far and was very patient with Dell while she tried to puzzle things out.

She was sure some day she would know how Lissy felt, having to manage her own family and other important family matters. She secretly looked forward to it. Dell wanted a big family like her own, a few kids, a good husband. She didn't even mind what class he came from as long as they were happy. It was a faerie tale notion, she knew it, but sometimes she couldn't help herself. Checking the clock tower again, she noticed she had very little time left. "I'm sorry, Miss Fairfax, I must be off to the shop. Perhaps I will see you again sometime soon?" Dell certainly wouldn't mind a little female company now and then.

  

[Elisabeth Fairfax]

Look who's alone now

It's not me. It's not me. Those three Wise Men, they've got a semi by the sea. Got to ask yourself the question, where are you now? Got to ask yourself the question, where are you now?- - - -

Lissy would not have considered trying to run a business before her marriage to Simon, indeed without Simon's death she likely would never have experienced it either. She had been told, after she came out of seclusion, that she could pass the work on to someone, such as hiring a manager or business man, or even sell the business and simply live from the proceeds of the rent of the properties. However, Lissy could not live with her moral compunctions that someone more inscrutable than Simon might have taken over the running of the factory and lost the livings of everyone who worked for them because of foolish speculating. She let out a small laugh at Della's words 'I would have been in much the same boat Miss Beauregaurd.' she admitted, 'I had not the slightest inclination towards running an operation of the size that the Fairfax family owned, but well, we Hufflepuffs are hardly afraid of hard work are we.' she smiled.



When she excused herself to go to work, Lissy smiled ruefully and nodded in understanding. 'I quiet understand Miss Beauregaurd' Lissy's eyes flicked further down the street where the signs of life in the street were growing as the work day began for many of the people in Hogsmeade highstreet. 'Please, I am engaged at the end of the week for Ombre with a few other ladies of around our age, if you would care to join us my carraige could come for you before heading to the party, or if you would care to join me for tea next week I would be delighted for your society' she offered, glad to have met someone who she felt was closer to her own circumstances, someone who understood the value of hard work, which she sometimes found lacking in the other upper class girls and women.

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