comes & goes

It took Edgar’s brain a few moments to move from doing a mental count of Hufflepuffs and checking the corridor in front of them from any threats to Amelia’s words. Pregnant. Edgar was reminded of a moment months before when he had thought Fabian had gotten Amelia pregnant, only for it to devolve into an argument about his and Amelia’s apparently shared thing for Prewetts. He was suddenly strangely grateful for that moment. It had taught him a lot about how not to react to that kind of news, if nothing else. Yelling definitely wouldn’t be the answer right now. 

Edgar turned back to Amelia, frowning and trying to think more like a Healer than an older brother who’s younger sister was now maybe pregnant with the kid of one of his best mates. “What do you mean, already have things sorted? Does Fabian know?” 

Amelia cringed as Edgar pressed on. She wasn’t sure what she had expected. Not that, though she should have. This wasn’t something she could take control of and put to bed all in one night like she’d solved so many of her other issues. Headstrong as she was, that all didn’t matter when she still hadn’t told Fabian what she so greatly expected.

“Okay.” She sighed, as though finally opening up. For real. “I can’t know properly until we’re on holiday. I have an appointment set up. That’s all.”

“Yes. Potentially after, depending on what we find out and what they think best when the new term arrives.”

“Is there anything you can share?” That she didn’t know already.

Graham stepped forward, his hands still firm on Amelia’s shoulders. “Hey. Hey. I’m here. I’ll go out tonight and get you licorice wands. I’ll even offer myself up for other requests if need be.” Amelia was never someone who needed to be taken care of. She was strong, persistent, and tireless. But everyone was allowed to be weak. It was only natural. Only human. “I’m going to be busy while I’m here, but I also need to make sure that you and Eddie are alright.”

“Edgar and I are more fine than ever, I think.” Both in seemingly happy relationships, they often saw each other. They were bound to run into one another and Amelia found herself welcoming it more each time as she warmed up to the idea of he and Gideon. She sniffled despite the statement. “You’ll be here until holidays?”

Dawn reached out, giving Amelia’s hand a small squeeze before turning on her heel towards the dorms.

“Now Lia, you know not to call me by my given name.” Graham walked around his sister, now standing in front of her, his eyes searching her face. “How are you holding up? I would’ve brought you licorice wands, but they didn’t give me much notice.”

“Graham.” She’d promised herself nights before there’d be no more tears when she cried enough for the next year or so in her other brother’s presence. But here, now, her voice cracked. “You should’ve brought the licorice wands. They’re about all I have an appetite for these days.”

“Yeah. And once we start counting, someone is going to figure out who is missing and have even more questions.” Edgar wracked his brain, trying to think if he had noticed anyone in particular that was missing, but it wasn’t as if he knew every single Hufflepuff. Even if he did, he wasn’t sure he name off the top of his head who had seen in the last hour with much confidence. “Food and tea would probably be good. You can probably hand that off to Ted, he’s good with sorting people out and helping people relax. What’s been keeping you up, anyway?” 

Amelia had already been deducting people by memory when had taken count, noting of a few she had yet to see. She’d go check their dorms next and hope they were all snug in bed. Ted, thankfully, had been one of the first people Amelia saw and she nodded in agreement, aware the task was suited well to her brother’s roommate. Though, that only shifted the attention back to her. She’d realized then how long she’d gone deflecting anyone’s questions over the week as the bags underneath her eyes only darkened by the day.

She found herself not wanting to avoid it anymore, both exhausted and ready to move on, or well, forward with the situation at hand. This one only involving Amelia. Perhaps Fabian.

She only opened up to Edgar once she’d pulled him out of the common room with her, keeping the door ajar to keep a careful eye on things still.

“I think, maybe, I’m pregnant.” The load on her shoulders became considerably lighter, for a moment. “And you know I’d only tell you if I already had things sorted.” She didn’t, though.

“I’ll be in the dorms. If you need anything else.” Dawn didn’t want to stay in the common room. The tension, the worry, the gossip - it was all too much.

“Thank you. Seriously.”

marlenethemenace‌:

“That’s—” Well, it wasn’t fine, but it was permissible by a landslide. If Marlene didn’t have an emotional tab with Amelia, she at least had one with Edgar, and she figured this could go towards either of the two with plenty of room for gallons of snot left. “Old jumper,” Marlene fibbed with a kind smile. “I’ll, uh— Oi, Eddie!”

@edgarboned​

Edgar paused, rerouting himself from where he was walking towards a group of first years to head towards the voice he heard calling his name. He was unsurprised to find Marlene McKinnon was the source of the yell, but he was surprised to find his sister crying on her shoulder. “Lia, hey,” he said, raising an arm with concern. 

@liabones​

Amelia winced at her brother being shouted for, hoping not to drawn any more attention to her teary faced self. 

“Thank you, McKinnon.” She wiped snot at her own jumper sleeve now, then sniffled. “I’m alright -- this is just, a lot. How long until Sprout comes back around for us, do you reckon?” She felt guilty, now being the one asking.

“A whole six inches?” D.W. gasped. She forced her eyes wide. “No wonder Fabian’s wild about you. If that’s what you can do with six inches of ribbon, imagine what you can do with his four.” D.W. picked up the pack of cards and handed them without ceremony to Amelia. “Secret’s safe, I’m no snitch.” If Sprout reared her head, D.W. would take the fall. And be glad to do so, too. Getting a detention might at least establish some sort of normalcy to her in this whole situation. She grabbed the bottle of Tequila, flipped off the cap, and took a swig. “I’ll make the rounds with this sucker. Don’t lose my cards,” she warned with a sharp finger pointed to Amelia’s heart. Then, bottle in hand, she headed to a crowd of students. 

“Thirty-four. And a Gryffindor.”

“For fuck’s sake,” The swear was rare, but warranted. “Where there’s one Gryffindor, there’s more. Keep an eye out. Thanks, though.”

Though his reasons for being in Hogwarts weren’t the best, the opportunity to at least have time to see his siblings was more than welcome. Graham himself had been busy with his new job as an Auror, and all things family had to be pushed aside to accommodate the work load. He knew Amelia in particular would be happy to see him, though he was always less certain where he stood with Edgar.

After checking in with the Professors, Graham selfishly made his way to his sister. He was able to find her immediately, walk up behind her, and placed his hands over her eyes.

“Guess who.”

@liabones​

“Mister cold and clammy hands?” Amelia questioned, knowing the voice soon as it reached her ears. She was so relieved to hear it.

“I’d be a terrible prefect,” Dawn laughed the comment off, getting started on the counts. She wouldn’t let the heavy feeling in the room get to her. She knew there was nothing wrong. This was all just a false alarm.

“No worse than Clem.” Amelia was joking, of course. In fact, in times like these, it brought her comfort seeing others relax how they needed. Staying true to themselves. And if Amelia was left picking up the slack, she didn’t mind. She had Dawn now, at least. “What’ve you got?” She asked minutes later, showing the witch her clipboard and number.

D.W. gave a dramatic salute and slipped away to her room, returning a moment later with a handful of things she’d pilfered from her own trunk. She’d left the drugs behind, unwilling to share, but an uncrackled bottle of tequila, two packs of sentient playing cards that insulted the players, and a few other questionable bits and bobs made the cut. She opened her arms and let the bounty fall at Amelia’s feet. “I like my presents wrapped extravagantly,” she instructed, arching a brow. “You can have first pick of the goods.”

“Well, my nana’s taught me how to curl a bow a whole six inches, so, D.W., you are in for a treat.” Amelia wasn’t skeptical that D.W. would provide. Just as expected, there was enough to entertain a crowd for an evening. The cards appealed to Amelia in a way she didn’t wish to admit. Shouting insults in moment of crisis would have definitely relieved her in the moment... So, she chose a deck with the point of a single digit. “Do I even need to say don’t tell Sprout I allowed this if she comes asking?”

Everything in Rory seemed to snap, one thing after the other, in such a way that if it had had sound she was sure it would have been a cacophony of it. That one simple word could set off such a reaction astounded Rory, so much so that she barely heard Amelia’s question, much less found herself in a position to answer it. She blinked away tears, voice quiet when she spoke. “I don’t want to be here. I want to go home. I want to go to church.” Her church back home, the one that was so warm and comforting and familiar, a second home she’d grown up in, not the new one here in Scotland. She wanted her family. 

“I’m sorry,” She spoke with guilt in the pit of her stomach. It wasn’t her place to seek comfort right now. Rather, Amelia knew she was to provide it to her peers. It was the only thing she felt sure of anymore. So, up rose her head, hair tangled from a day of wind at the pitch falling down her back as she dusted herself off, both literally and figuratively. “Would you -- like somewhere to pray? Or maybe somewhere quiet to write your family, so the owl can be sent as soon as we’re able to roam.”

Rory’s head snapped up to Amelia, eyes widening. Her stomach seemed unable to sit still. She’d heard the rumours of course. “It’s going to be one of us, isn’t it?”

“Yes,” She choked on the word. While still hoarse, she continued, “Do you have any friends in Slytherin? Because I’m afraid that might’ve been the other student, too.” She was wavered by her own bluntness, but promised it wasn’t meant to do further harm. With a sigh, she securely wrapped two arms around her knees and rested her chin there. “I’ve never really made friends with anyone in Slytherin, I’m realizing.”