Who: Cameron Montgomery & Nicola Scarpin
What: false identity! an American in London! Scandal!
Where: Diagon Alley!
When: last week!
Cameron was really starting to hate London. No, he always hated big cities, but this one in particular wasn’t getting any better the longer he stayed. The wet cold winter weather. All the people crowding down the streets, moving too fast for his slow leisurely pace. The strange looks he got every now and then. London didn’t seem to like him much either. At this point he was staying out of principle, unable to turn his back on the potential of the estate he could put to use, the unfortunate cost being that he had to stay in England for the time being.
His frown deepened as he took in his surroundings. This didn’t seem like where he was suppose to be at all. Spinning on the spot, he searched for a sign that had anything remotely familiar sounding. Lost, again. And he had only left the lawyer ten minutes ago. He ran his hand through his hair sighing deeply. He didn’t feel like he would ever get use to this place. Shoving his hands deep into his pockets he took the next corner hoping for the best.
“Excuse me.” he said for what felt like the hundredth time. How you were suppose to navigate the overly crowded paths of Diagon Alley
without bumping into other people was beyond him. “Sorry ma’am, I wasn’t paying attention.”
Nicola pulled her cloak closer to her chest, visibly miffed by this intrusion of personal space. Never, in her
life, had a simple trip to Diagon been so outrageously miserable. The street was unnecessarily crowded, it was
cold, and all she had wanted was to see if her new furniture for Oliver had arrived. His house was, from what she understand, still boorishly unfurnished, a state that she would simply not accept before he left for the United States. The clock was
ticking, as she had so generously put it to the shopkeeper (truly, how long did he honestly think she would believe a custom-made bedroom set from Italy would take?!), which left her feeling especially irritated.
So when a rough bump from an unknown nearby nearly sent her tripping to the street, Nicola’s cheeks puffed up and her gaze turned into a death glare. He was
right to be sorry, did he have any idea who she---
Her irritation popped when she recognized his face. Was that---
that was impossible! The whole world had read about the accident in his shop that widely believed to take his life. How could he be here, before her? Granted, Nicola had not known Chester Scabior
well, but any pureblood witch worth her wit knew of all eligible bachelors in Wizarding England. Especially one with such good-looks.
“Chester?” Nicola spoke incredulously, leaning forward for a proper look at his face. One hand over her chest, the other rested lightly on his shoulder. “Chester Scabior?”
Cameron wrinkled his nose slightly gently ducking out of the witch’s grasp. He probably should have expected it, but that didn’t make it any less uncomfortable to be mistaken for someone else. Someone he honestly had no desire to even be related to. What an awkward situation, what if this witch didn’t even know Chester was dead, had been for months. How was he suppose to tell her not only the did she have the wrong person, but the one she was looking for was dead? Or that he was an asshole who couldn’t even bother to acknowledge the existence of his brother.
“Sorry to disappoint, but you have wrong wizard I’m afraid.” Cameron said politely offering the witch a smile figuring it best to just leave it at that. There was no need to bore her with long complications of just his life. Something about her, perhaps how nicely she was dressed, gave him the feeling that she would have little patience for the long tale. Not when she was expecting the likes of Chester. The only reason his coat and scarf were so nice was because he had just bought them days before out of necessity, and he was positive they couldn’t even pass for matching.
“It’s Cameron Montgomery,” he corrected shoving his hands in his pockets, tomorrow’s investment was definitely going to involve gloves, warming charms just weren’t cutting it. “Sorry again for running into you.”
Nicola pulled her hand back. Yes, of course it was someone else. What a preposterous thought, to believe that Chester Scabior had returned from the grave. Or, even more outlandish, that he had avoided it entirely! There had been a funeral, a casket had been buried (albeit empty). This Cameron Montgomery before her was simply… a person that looked entirely like him down to the charming smile. Stranger things happened.
Plus, Chester Scabior absolutely had not had an
American accent. An American look-alike roving about Diagon Alley? What a development.
“Of course Cameron,” Nicola responded in the primest of manners. She straightened, turning her chin up as she spoke. A proper smile curled onto her lips. “My apologies, I was mistaken. You look just like Mister Scabior.” She
supposed since she had not known Chester well it was possible the wizard before her looked less like him than she thought….
Taking the moment, Nicola brushed the front of her cloak, and then pulled it closer to her throat. She couldn’t help but noticed his mismatched clothing. Definitely not Chester Scabior. “There is no need to apologize, your bump was unintentional.”
Cameron was tempted to go and leave it all at that, but it felt rude to let her think that she had been mistaken considering that him and Chester looked exactly a like. And if he was going to be in town, he might as well own up to being related to the guy. He would hate for a rumor to go around that there was an
imposter in town. “Easy mistake to make, he was my brother after all.”
He shuffled awkwardly, not knowing what else to say. Back home he kept to himself mostly, now that he was in England, he found himself not only having to deal with this estate, but being shoved into more and more social interactions that he usually dealt with in a month. All he wanted to do was find the apothecary. And maybe figure out where he could find a flat. Perpetually living in a hotel was not feasible, even if he now had the money to support it.
“Actually, maybe you could help me, if you have a moment.” He asked fishing out a piece of parchment that had the name of the store scribbled on it. Cameron swore this ‘Estate Solicitor’ was setting out to make his life miserable wherever he could. He didn’t even bother to provide an address or directions. Claiming it was easy enough to find. “I’m trying to find-- Slug and Jiggers?-- really is that the name? An apothecary is what I’m looking for, but I’m pretty sure I’ve been going in circles for at least an hour.”
Her mouth formed into a perfect ‘O’. Chester Scabior had had a
brother? But not only that, he was
American with a different last name… Nicola quickly closed her mouth, realizing she had stumbled upon some kind of Scabior family secret. That must be it, yes? In her research and memorization, she could not recall a Scabior other than Chester, nor did the surname of
Montgomery ring anything familiar.
“I had not know Chester Scabior had a brother,” she said carefully.
She must entertain this Cameron Montgomery further to obtain the full story.
Despite already deciding that yes, she would help Cameron locate Slug and Jiggers, Nicola made no moment to indicate so. Instead, she clutched her cloak tighter and went to glide away until he stopped her.
“Oh?” Nicola feigned, inclining her chin as she batted her lashes. “Slug and Jiggers? Well of course, it is…” she began to raise her hand in the general direction of the shop, but then thought twice on the matter. She brought her hand back down, and smiled. “I can bring you there, if you would like. It isn’t far.”
He tensed, wondering if this young woman was going to question his claim, not that he would really blame her. It must seem outrageous from the outside perspective. Even he thought it was ridiculous, and he was the center of the whole ordeal. Cameron’s shoulders relaxed a bit when she offered to show him to the store. For a moment he thought she was just going to point him in the right direction and hope for the best. Which would have surely ended with him getting lost again.
“Would you?” he asked hoping that he didn’t sound too desperate, but he had been here for nearly a month now and he had still yet to manage to get a handle on where anything was. Or really talk to anyone outside of legal matters. “I’d really appreciate it, if you don’t mind. I never did manage well in big cities.”
Shuffling his feet awkwardly as he adjusted his scarf. “Sorry, I’m being rude and never asked your name.”
“Nicola Scarpin,” she stated, producing a coy smile for him as she tossed her hair over her shoulder. Holding out her arm for him, she patiently waited for Cameron Montgomery to catch on and produce his arm for her as well. She
certainly could not be seen walking besides a strange man! They were acquaintances now, and he would need to escort her thus, even if… technically… she was the one doing the escorting. It was only proper.
“Not to worry Cameron,” she sighed, her gaze trailed up toward the sky for a moment. “You have the
whole journey to Slug and Jiggers to make up for it.” Nicola patted his forearm. “So
tell me, you are an American?” Even she would have to admit, his accent was… it wasn’t the
worst she’d come across in her days.
Cameron blinked at Nicola confused as she held out her arm. Oh, she wanted him to-- he took her offered arm feeling incredibly awkward at the formality of it all. He barely knew this girl and now it would surely look like they were a couple walking down the street. Looking over to her to make sure he was right in assuming that this was what she had intended, he let her lead him down the street. He was concerned for half a second about just what he had gotten himself into.
“About as American as you can get, considering I was born in London. Lived in South Carolina since I was two.” Cameron said, putting an emphasis on his drawl for added effect. He hesitated for half a second on just what he should say, but then settled on the fact he really didn’t care if all of high society knew what his father did. “When my mom died, my dad decided two was one too many children and sent me off to be raised by my Aunt Margaret. This is my first time in England since.”
He shrugged his shoulders giving Nicola a glance from the corner of his eye to judge how she was taking his candidness. He gave her a smile, “I suppose, I got the better bargain in the end.”
Scabior Senior had
separated his twin sons? Nicola could barely contain her gasp at Cameron’s reveal. How awful! How cold
hearted! She had never heard of such a thing. How had no one known of this? How had she never known this?
“How cruel!” Nicola responded, moving her other hand to place it sympathetically on Cameron’s arm. What a strange and alarming set of events. And Cameron was back now, she could only assume, because the Scabior line had ended? Or, she supposed more accurately, almost ended. “I can’t begin to imagine…” she trailed off, her thoughts wandering to her own estranged sister. Her parents would never do such a thing, but hearing Cameron retell his story made her think of Mattie… when was the last time she had seen her? It saddened her to think…
Quickly, before Nicola could lapse into childish nostalgia, she switched her thoughts. “I suppose, in a way,” she wearily agreed, unsure if she truly believed what her new friend was saying. He had ended up the only one alive after all these years, but aside from that… she shuddered to think further. “I have to admit Cameron, your story is quite shocking. I had no idea…” Nicola frowned sadly, feeling pity for the wizard attached on her arm.
Cameron patted the hand on his arm gently. “It’s alright,” he said simply turning to give Nicola a smile. Of course there was a time when he felt the same. How sad it was that he was separated from the rest of his family. How he mustn’t have been magical if he was sent to live with the only other non-magical member of the family. Obviously, he had done something to not be wanted, but the more he learned, the better off he felt and after his first encounter with his twin, well he didn’t feel sorry for himself at all anymore.
“I’m sure no one had a clue, what a scandal it would have been had it gotten out.” He said lightly, hint of bitterness slipping into his joke.
Looking over to Nicola and seeing the sad look settled on his face, Cameron decided he didn’t like being pitied, not when he honestly believed he got the better end of the deal. “Hey now, no need for the sad eyes. Have you ever been to Charleston? It’s amazingly beautiful, I’m sure if you visited you’d be jealous I grew up there. And my Auntie, well she was pretty much the best woman in the world.” He paused right before saying he didn’t miss out by not growing up in London next to his brother. At least in the States he was very much loved. “Always focus on what you have going for you, not against you.”
She did not miss Cameron’s subtle sarcasm, and for that, Nicola’s brow rose. She had no idea some Americans came with a bit of
bite. Feeling surprisingly spurred, though still a bit depressed for her new friend’s life situation, she did not comment on anything, and simply nodded slowly. She wished, for a brief moment, that she could share Cameron’s manner of thoughts and outview on life. It was difficult, and made her chest ache, so she stopped wishing for it.
The street was still crowded, and in their short time together, they had gone far. Slug and Jiggers was just around the corner. Glancing down at the ground, and then eventually around for no quite reason at all aside from catching a familiar face, Nicola, after a few pensive moments, looked back up at Cameron Montgomery.
“I am glad that you were able to find peace with what life handed to you,” she spoke earnestly, the faintest look of honesty, and perhaps a bit of jealousy, playing on her face. But, as soon as it had appeared, it vanished, for they had arrived at their intended destination.
“Here we are Mister Montgomery,” Nicola smiled, ushering a hand out up toward the sign hanging in the street. Her voice had returned to it’s normal, relatively artificial tone, one that she used almost entirely in public. “Slug and Jiggers Apothecary.”
“Thank you Miss Scarpin.” Cameron said unsure how else to respond. “And thank you for showing me the way. I hope I haven’t taken up too much of your time.”
He let go of her arm but hesitated before making any move towards the shop. She was the first person he had had an actual conversation with outside his lawyer and the inn keep since he had arrived and he wasn’t quite sure if he was ready for it to end. “Maybe we’ll run into each other again? I don’t really have plans to leave town any time soon.”
