City of Holyhead ~ Wales

[The Forgotten Weasley]

Holyhead

Holyhead is the largest town in the county of Anglesey in Wales, as well as a major Irish Sea port. The town is actually not located on the isle of Anglesey, but Holy Island, which is separated from Anglesey by a narrow winding channel on the west side of the isle. It is connected to Anglesey via "The Cobb", which carries both cars and trains from the isle to the island. The town centre is built around St. Cybi's Church, and settlements in the area date from prehistoric times, with the highest concentration of circular huts, burial chambers and standing stones in Britain. The current lighthouse is on South Stack on the other side of Holyhead Mountain and is open to the public, and the area is also popular with birdwatchers. The ferry port is extremely busy, as it is the principal link for surface transport from central and northern England and Wales to Ireland. The port itself is a major employer within the community. Holyhead is the start and finish point of the Anglesey Coastal Path, a long distance foot path around the isle. Holyhead's arts centre, the Ucheldre Centre, is located in the chapel of an old convent belonging to the order of the Bon Sauveur, and the Holyhead Maritime Museum is housed in what is claimed to be Wales's oldest lifeboat house. Holyhead's cliffs are also popularly used for coasteering, a water sport which involves jumping off cliffs at different heights. Holyhead also happens to be home to the Holyhead Harpies, an all-female Quidditch team that plays for the British and Irish Quidditch League.

 

[Summer II]

¢єяι ∂ανιєѕ
нυffℓєρυff αℓυмиα

ℓєт'ѕ нι∂є συяѕєℓνєѕ fяσм єνєяуσиє
נυѕт тαкє му нαи∂ αи∂ ωє ¢αи яυи
αѕ мσмєитѕ fяєєzє ℓєт'ѕ мαкє вєℓιєνє
ωє'ℓℓ αℓωαуѕ вє fσяєνєя уσυиg
ѕσσи тнє иιgнт ωιℓℓ ¢σмє, συя ѕιℓнσυєттєѕ ιи тнє ѕєттιиg ѕυи

Ceri had always wanted to go to the Fall Festival in Holyhead, but her stepmother had never let her since it was a Muggle festival. But now that she was gone, Ceri could go to the festival, and she was going to take the woman she loved! Ceri got ready for the festival and met her girlfriend for the fun day. It wasn't a long walk from where their house was to the town and it was a lovely evening. Ceri turned to her girlfriend and smiled happily. "Isn't this lovely, Anti? The festival is going to be wonderful too. There's food, music, games and we can even do some dancing. Doesn't that sound awesome!" She bounced with excitement, looking forward to the fun times at the festival.

ι fєєℓ тнє нєαт, тнє ѕυммєя ѕ¢єиє
ℓιкє ѕтαи∂ιиg ιи α ℓινιиg ∂яєαм
ℓιкє fℓαѕнιиg ℓιgнтѕ fяσм мσνιє ѕ¢яєєиѕ
тнιѕ fєєℓѕ ѕσ яιgнт ι ¢αи'т вєℓιєνє
ωє ѕιт ѕσ ѕтιℓℓ, ѕσ ¢ℓσѕє, ѕσ иєαя
тнєѕє нєαятѕ ωιℓℓ ωανє ѕσ ℓσυ∂ αи∂ ¢ℓєαя
ℓєт'ѕ ¢ℓσѕє συя єуєѕ αи∂ ∂ιѕαρρєαя.

{συт σf ¢нαяα¢тєя: ...}

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The Forgotten Weasley

 

[The Forgotten Weasley]

I can't give up that quick.
My life is a candle and a wick.
You can put it out but you can't break it down,
In the end we are waiting to be lit.
A friend is a friend forever,
And a good one will never leave, never.

α и т ı g ø и e
¢ α š š ı ø ρ e ı α
ł ı ł ł α и т ı и e
føямeя яανeи¢łαω │ αяıтħмαи¢eя │ ρυяeвłøøđ

Anti had essentially thrown herself into her work since her 'father''s death. Not out of grief- she understood now, as an adult, that she and Callius had been more alike than either might have realized, whether they were father and daughter or uncle and niece- and that understanding had diluted a good deal of her rage towards the man, that and logically, the fact that he was dead and therefore would never pose a threat to her again. She had thought she might eventually come to mourn the loss of the father she had never had, but she doubted Julius would have been much better. He might have been worse. And the revelation that Vio was likely her half-sister made sense, as she'd both hated and loved the other girl the way only siblings could. But none of that accounted for all the gaps in the story, and her mother's disappearance had only furthered her realization that she would likely never know the whole story. She, unlike Vander or Vio, was not upset Cy had inherited everything. Of course he didn't deserve it, none of them did. But she didn't think Cy was long for this world, to be perfectly honest- he'd always seemed the type to go out with a bang rather than let himself succumb to the horrors of middle age. Anti did, however, hope that when he saw fit to go out, he didn't take anyone else with him. Knowing Cy, her hopes were going to be ignored.

But she was content to live in denial of that reality for now, and work was useful in that regard. She didn't have quite the grind someone with say, an office job might have, but she did have a lost of clients right now, and Anti generally enjoyed what she did. She liked being in charge of her own finances and having her own income- even if Ceri refused to let her pay rent- and she liked knowing that she could depend on herself. She worked outside of the house, so she and Ceri weren't constantly around one another- something that had been close to driving her insane beforehand. She loved her girlfriend, but Ceri had also been her ticket to a normal life, and part of having a normal life was having that life not revolve completely around Ceri. Even if she was still working on the friends thing. The dark haired woman smiled back at her girlfriend, who seemed to have momentarily regained some of her adolescent over-the-top enthusiasm. "I suppose I should be grateful I did end up learning how to dance, then." Was she very good at it? No, but at least she was no longer a gangly teenaged girl tripping over her own feet. "What do you want to do first?" Anti asked as they neared the crowds, predominantly muggle, she assumed, although she doubted they were the only witches in the area.

OOC:

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Summer II

You speak minds handed down to you,
By the lies handed down by your truth,
And your angels who dance at your will,
Will mask your scrambling youth.
Pick up your rope, Lord, sling it to me,
if we are to battle I must not be weak.

 

[Summer II]

¢єяι ∂ανιєѕ
нυffℓєρυff αℓυмиα

ℓєт'ѕ нι∂є συяѕєℓνєѕ fяσм єνєяуσиє
נυѕт тαкє му нαи∂ αи∂ ωє ¢αи яυи
αѕ мσмєитѕ fяєєzє ℓєт'ѕ мαкє вєℓιєνє
ωє'ℓℓ αℓωαуѕ вє fσяєνєя уσυиg
ѕσσи тнє иιgнт ωιℓℓ ¢σмє, συя ѕιℓнσυєттєѕ ιи тнє ѕєттιиg ѕυи

In wake of the news of Anti's father's passing and the revelation that he wasn't the father of her nor her elder brother, Ceri had given Antigone some space. She knew how the girl was and she'd let her come to her when she was ready. Ceri knew that she was a bit of an over bearer. So she'd focused on her garden, growing dozens of different herbs, plants and ingredients. And like she'd expected, Anti had focused her efforts on work. So this afternoon and evening with her girlfriend would be a wonderful break. Ceri smiled when Anti commented that it was good she'd learned to dance. She looked over at her girlfriend and smiled, taking Anti's hand in hers. "We could walk through the festival and see all the booths. Maybe sample some foods? Play a few games? It should be fun playing games without using magic." She chewed insightfully on her lip, considering what they could do with their afternoon.

ι fєєℓ тнє нєαт, тнє ѕυммєя ѕ¢єиє
ℓιкє ѕтαи∂ιиg ιи α ℓινιиg ∂яєαм
ℓιкє fℓαѕнιиg ℓιgнтѕ fяσм мσνιє ѕ¢яєєиѕ
тнιѕ fєєℓѕ ѕσ яιgнт ι ¢αи'т вєℓιєνє
ωє ѕιт ѕσ ѕтιℓℓ, ѕσ ¢ℓσѕє, ѕσ иєαя
тнєѕє нєαятѕ ωιℓℓ ωανє ѕσ ℓσυ∂ αи∂ ¢ℓєαя
ℓєт'ѕ ¢ℓσѕє συя єуєѕ αи∂ ∂ιѕαρρєαя.

{συт σf ¢нαяα¢тєя: ...}

show spoilerhide spoiler

The Forgotten Weasley

 

[The Forgotten Weasley]

I can't give up that quick.
My life is a candle and a wick.
You can put it out but you can't break it down,
In the end we are waiting to be lit.
A friend is a friend forever,
And a good one will never leave, never.

α и т ı g ø и e
¢ α š š ı ø ρ e ı α
ł ı ł ł α и т ı и e
føямeя яανeи¢łαω │ αяıтħмαи¢eя │ ρυяeвłøøđ

Anti squeezed Ceri's hand thoughtfully, and shrugged, glancing around at the stalls. The crowds were mostly families with young children, ducking and darting around adults, but there were quite a few couples as well. She was just as wonder-struck as her girlfriend; just being in regular muggle society was still very intriguing to her, having been sheltered so much from it as a child. Never mind in such a celebratory atmosphere. She spotted a vendor selling roasted pumpkin seeds and chestnuts, and led the way over. She wasn't very fond of overly sweet things like tarts or pies, but she did like pumpkin. "I just discovered that I'm starving."

OOC:

show spoilerhide spoiler

Summer II

You speak minds handed down to you,
By the lies handed down by your truth,
And your angels who dance at your will,
Will mask your scrambling youth.
Pick up your rope, Lord, sling it to me,
if we are to battle I must not be weak.

 

[Summer II]

¢єяι ∂ανιєѕ
нυffℓєρυff αℓυмиα

ℓєт'ѕ нι∂є συяѕєℓνєѕ fяσм єνєяуσиє
נυѕт тαкє му нαи∂ αи∂ ωє ¢αи яυи
αѕ мσмєитѕ fяєєzє ℓєт'ѕ мαкє вєℓιєνє
ωє'ℓℓ αℓωαуѕ вє fσяєνєя уσυиg
ѕσσи тнє иιgнт ωιℓℓ ¢σмє, συя ѕιℓнσυєттєѕ ιи тнє ѕєттιиg ѕυи

The wonder of the festival was everything that Ceri had always hoped for, and the best part was, she was sharing it with Anti. As she was led over to the seed stand, Ceri drew in a deep breath, inhaling all the scents. Anti said she was hungry so Ceri glanced around looking for a food station that served more than seeds. There was a booth serving Welsh Glamorgan sausages. Ceri tugged on Anti's hand and pointed towards the stand. "Oooh! They have sausage over there! Do you want some pumpkin seeds first? I have some Mug... money." She smiled at her girlfriend, bouncing excitedly.

ι fєєℓ тнє нєαт, тнє ѕυммєя ѕ¢єиє
ℓιкє ѕтαи∂ιиg ιи α ℓινιиg ∂яєαм
ℓιкє fℓαѕнιиg ℓιgнтѕ fяσм мσνιє ѕ¢яєєиѕ
тнιѕ fєєℓѕ ѕσ яιgнт ι ¢αи'т вєℓιєνє
ωє ѕιт ѕσ ѕтιℓℓ, ѕσ ¢ℓσѕє, ѕσ иєαя
тнєѕє нєαятѕ ωιℓℓ ωανє ѕσ ℓσυ∂ αи∂ ¢ℓєαя
ℓєт'ѕ ¢ℓσѕє συя єуєѕ αи∂ ∂ιѕαρρєαя.

{συт σf ¢нαяα¢тєя: ...}

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The Forgotten Weasley

 

[Graydon Ironshield]

Alarms will ring for eternity
The waves will break every chain on me
My bones will bleach
My flesh will flee
So help my lifeless frame to breathe




════════════════════════

Healer at St. Mungo's || Gʀʏғғɪɴᴅᴏʀ Aʟᴜᴍɴɪ || Hᴀʟғ-Bʟᴏᴏᴅ

════════════════════════




A cool breeze blew in from the direction of the Irish Sea, bringing with it the imminent promise of a cold rain, and dark gray clouds hung low over the cemetery. The breeze tugged at Dani’s curly blonde hair, as she stood at the edge of the gathering of black-clad mourners around the burnished steel coffin. It gave her some comfort to see a goodly number of family and friends were here for Grandpa Jack Stewart Sr., as she always felt badly when she saw a hearse pass on the street with only a couple cars or so in its wake.

Years ago she’d told Cathy so far as she was concerned she considered herself to have been ‘orphaned at an early age and an only child’, after her parents rebuffed her attempt to reconcile with them just prior to starting her Fifth Year at Hogwarts, and for many years she’d held to her decision to close off that part of her. She’d even tried to change her name to be Danica Quinn, and relinquish the family name of Stewart, though Grandpa Quinn told her not to, as much as he understood her desire to cut all her ties with them, she owed the Stewarts (her mother in particular, he stressed to her) some amount of respect as they’d given her the gift of life.

So for the last few years she’d been Danica Stewart-Quinn, which was rather a mouthful and a little too important-sounding to her ears. As much as she tried to partition her old life away from what she was now, she just couldn’t do it. Like Dickens’ Jacob Marley, she was bound to them in chains of regret and pain of her own making.

Though she told herself she was picking at scars better left undisturbed and torturing herself for no good reason, Dani made the effort to keep tabs upon those whom were part of her old life. She made a secret visit to the hospital when her father had his health scare a while back, anonymously leaving him a card and flowers while he recovered from heart surgery. As much pain as he’d visited upon her and as angry as she was at him still, Danica couldn’t find it in her to wish him ill. She watched her baby brother grow into a young man, and she thrilled at seeing him become a footballer in high school, before getting a sports scholarship to attend university. Talented a Forward that he was, playing futbol and hockey, it had to be only a matter of time before he drew the attention of pro scouts.

Seeing Grandpa Jack’s obituary in the paper was a gut-punch, as Dani loved him as much as she’d loved anyone in her family. Being the only grandparents she had when she was little (not knowing the Quinns even existed at that point); a trip to their house was as grand and magical as any experience a young child could have. She remembered fondly sitting in his lap while he read stories to her, and even if he’d read it to her a hundred times already when he told it to her again it was like hearing it for the first time. Now, he was gone, his wonderful, golden voice forever stilled, and Dani’s world was diminished for it.

Andy told her attending her grandfather’s funeral wasn’t a good idea, and in her heart she believed he was probably right, but in the end she couldn’t stay away. She needed to pay her respects, to say farewell, and maybe get a bit of closure. Apparating to Holyhead, she managed to get inside the church where the funeral was taking place without anyone challenging her right to be there; though she took good care not to catch the eyes of her parents.

Though she was in the presence of her cousins and the friends of her grandparents whom were physically able to attend, none of them made the connection between the mysterious, slim blonde woman in the long black dress and matching knee-length wool coat and Jack and Agrippina Stewart’s elder child whom was divorced from them when she was eleven; by contrast it took a bit of detective work on Danica’s part to connect many of the names of these cousins with the barely recalled baby pictures adorning the mantle in her parents’ house. Passing the open casket, Dani smiled and fought back tears as she gazed once more upon the face of her grandfather. Looking as handsome now as she remembered him when she was much younger, death had granted him a measure of serenity.

After the solemn funeral mass, as she sat in a pew in the back of sanctuary, Dani watched as the lid of the casket was closed and sealed. David, her baby brother, was one of the six pallbearers, whom carried the casket from the sanctuary and out of the church. And so began a procession of mourners whom followed along as the vicar led the way through the churchyard to where Grandpa Jack was to be laid to rest.

While rain threatened, the vicar read passages from the Bible to the congregation of mourners, and when he was done, the mourners paid their respects one last time. Dani watched, as first her parents, and Grandma Stewart placed flowers upon the casket, and then others followed suit, before making their way back to the church where the family would gather to receive guests. It was obvious to her, as the gathering of mourners diminished, David was remaining beside the casket, waiting. Though the rest of the family assumed he was simply being the good grandson, being the last to leave, Dani knew the truth: he’d seen her.

Knowing it was pointless to attempt to avoid her brother; Dani took her turn at the last, kneeling and crossing herself, as she’d been taught since childhood, breathing the words of an Anglican prayer, before placing her flower with the others atop the casket. David waited for her to make her peace, and get to her feet, before speaking reprovingly in a quiet tone, “You know you shouldn’t be here, Dani.” Dani looked up at her brother, and said softly, “Grandpa Jack was my grandfather too, you know. So what happened? The article in the paper didn’t give a whole lot of information.”

David shrugged, and answered, “There isn’t a whole lot to tell, Dani. Grandpa Jack wasn’t feeling well for a while now, and when he caught bronchitis and it became full-blown pneumonia…” Dani drew in a deep breath; given her occupation, she’d heard and read about the progression of illnesses many times already, and she said, “I can guess the rest, David. Thank you, it’s more than I likely would have been told by anyone else. How’s Grandma Stewart taking things?” David shook his head, and said, “She’s pretty fragile, Dani; no surprise there. After dealing with Dad’s heart attack, and with Grandpa Jack’s having been sick and all, and now this, we’re lucky she’s still with us. Dad’s afraid we’re going to lose her too before long. I don’t think she could handle many more shocks right now. It’s a good thing Mom and Dad didn’t see you at the funeral, or—”

“Or what, David?” asked Dani sharply, cutting off her brother, though she took care to keep her voice from carrying. She didn’t want the old vicar to see her, as he might remember who she was. “What would they have done? Ask the vicar to drive me off like I’m some daemon or something, or finally be forced to field some pretty damning questions about everything that happened? Yeah, probably a good thing they didn’t see me.” Taking a deep breath to calm down, she paused to glance around at the stone monuments, and she asked sarcastically, “So is one of these supposedly mine, or is there an urn with my name in a cupboard somewhere? Maybe I should pay my respects to the not-so-dearly departed while I’m in the neighborhood.”

“You ran away, Dani,” was what David said, as brother and sister started walking away from the gravesite, so the casket could be lowered into the ground by attendants out of the presence of the family. “Oh, so that’s the ‘official’ story now,” said Dani. “Funny, Dad said he told all my friends I was dead. It’s a wonder he wasn’t investigated by the police for pushing that story.” David sighed heavily, and replied, “He did that because he was tired of having little girls knocking on our door, asking after you. After that, they stopped calling and they went away. Dad filed a police report, had you declared a runaway and an incorrigible child. When you signed up for that school, you made your choice, and it wasn’t us.”

“I made my choice?,” retorted Dani disbelievingly, as years of resentment and anger bubbled up. “ Bleedin’ bullocks, David, pull the other one!I was eleven, and I was tired of being knocked around by Dad and yelled at by Mom, while you got a free pass at everything. So, maybe I did want something else, maybe because right then just about anything else had to be an improvement, but that’s not the same thing as deciding not to be a part of the family anymore. I certainly wasn’t planning to be thrown into the streets. When Aunt Bella found me, and asked Dad to visit, he signed me off to her like I was a bloody second-hand motorcar. Surprised he didn’t ask her for thirty silver Sickles for his troubles. I didn’t make my choice, David, I was cast out.”

Her younger brother glanced over at his sister thoughtfully, while wincing briefly at her obvious Biblical reference. Their childhood together was tempestuous to put it mildly, he and Dani rarely got on well, and he recalled all the yelling which took place after he was sent off to bed at night. Back then, he was happy to see his sister get the ire of his parents while he got away with petty things at her expense, pretty much scot-free. However… “I would point out, you threw me into a wall hard enough to break the plaster, Dani,” he said to her. It was then he saw all the anger pass from her face, as though she was a sailing ship suddenly becalmed, and something else took its place.

Not for the first time today Dani felt gut-punched, while righteous indignation was replaced with guilt. With a heavy sigh, she said softly, “It was an accident, David. When a young witch’s magic first manifests, strange things can happen when she’s angry or scared. With everything else going on, you … just being … you, at the time, caused the kettle to boil. It’s not an excuse, but it’s an explanation.”

“So, some of the stuff that broke around the house…” began David, as the wheels started turning in his head, and he recalled the odd events which happened prior to Dani’s abrupt departure. “That was me, I’m afraid. I had a lot of little ‘accidents’ early on,” admitted Dani. “I’m sorry you got blamed for that lamp, by the way. Aunt Bella talked to Mom about me, after I started school; she knew what was going on, the stuff with Dad, and my magic, but she resented me so much because I got the gift while it passed her by, she chose not to do anything about it. I’m pretty sure all the accidents around the house stopped after I was gone, right? ”

“Uh, yeah, now you mention it,” David said, as tried to digest what was being told to him. “Admittedly, playing hockey for the school team, I’ve gotten body-checked into the boards harder than you threw me, but I didn’t have padding when I was eight. You really hurt me, Dani, and you scared all of us.” Dani closed her eyes, and drew another pained breath. “I know; I hurt you. You might have been acting like a brat, but you didn’t deserve what I did to you. You were scared, Mom and Dad were scared. Guess what: I was scared too. Dad called me a freak and a monster, and I wondered for a long time afterward if he wasn’t wrong. Took me a long time to stop being scared every time I tried casting a spell at school, afraid I’d blow something up, inadvertently set somebody on fire or worse.”

As they strolled among the tombstones, David gave his sister an appraising look; he didn’t sense any amount of bravado coming from her, and he suspected she wasn’t joking around. “You don’t still have accidents, do you?” he asked. “I mean, I don’t need to worry about you setting my hair on fire, or turning me into a frog, right?” A slight smile tugged at the corner of Dani’s mouth, as amusing images flickered through her thoughts for a moment… but only for a moment. “I haven’t had an accident in a long time, but I still have to watch how much effort I put into a spell. The frog thing, though…. that actually takes a bit more work than you might think.”

“My arm was in a cast, and you cracked three of my ribs,” added David. Dani winced; such injuries she considered normal enough in a Quidditch match, but she’d inflicted this upon her brother, simply because he’d tried swiping some of her CDs from her room. “Dad told me at the time you were in a wheelchair, and might not walk again,” Dani said, as she looked down at the ground. “Uh, yeah, that never happened,” David commented, as he really started wondering what else happened during his childhood he wasn’t fully aware of. Dani added, “Also told me you’d scream whenever you heard my name. ”

David commented wryly, “Okay, what baby brother doesn’t run screaming when he hears his older sister’s name?” He then nudged Dani with an elbow to let her know he was kidding, but she wasn’t having it right then. As he was paying closer attention to her, he noticed now his older sister was actually shaking slightly, and not because she was cold. Dani shook her head, and she said soberly, “There isn’t a day which passes I don’t think about what I did to you, David; not… one… day. It may have all been an accident, but I still have to live with it, and live myself. I see it in my dreams every … bleedin’ … night, and I wish to God it never happened, but it did, and I’m sorry. I’ve spent the last fifteen years trying to make up for what I’ve done, trying to justify in my mind whether all the good I’ve done balances the scales. There’s days I wish I was never born, David; days I wish one of those Death-Eaters had killed me in Hogsmeade. Fifteen years I’ve asked myself if I deserve any of the good things that have come my way, while telling myself all the bad is part and parcel of my punishment, because Dad was right about me all along. I’ve done my penance for fifteen years, David, when doI earn forgiveness? ”

It was then Dani broke down and started crying aloud, as years of accumulated anguish and remorse poured out of her, like waters over a dam stressed beyond its ability to hold them back any longer. She held her hands over her face in a feeble attempt to hide the fact she was crying. David couldn’t help but look at his sister and feel badly for her. While he was healed of his injuries long ago and gotten over all the fears associated with his magical sibling, Dani suffered wounds of her own that day, ones she’d never been healed of.

David pulled his sister close and let her sob into his shoulder, and felt the tension in her body as he held her. “I’m sorry, I’m sorry, I’m sorry,” she repeated to him, as she cried. “God help me, I’m sorry. Please forgive me, David, I didn’t mean to hurt you…” The big footballer rubbed her back, and said in a soft tone, “Dani, it was fifteen years ago, and it was an accident, there’s nothing left to forgive. You said you didn’t mean to do it, and I believe you. It’s okay, I forgive you, but you need to forgive yourself too.”

The two of them stood still among the stone monuments, David stayed quiet while his sister cried herself out. When the tears stopped flowing, and her breath stopped heaving out of her, Dani found her ribs ached almost as they would after getting whacked with a Bludger. “Physician heal thyself, is what you’re saying, huh? ” she said, with a crooked half-smile, after drawing a deep breath, and stepping away from her brother. David gave her a puzzled look, and said, “Okay, you’ve lost me, Dani.”

“I work at a wizard hospital,” explained Dani, as she carefully wiped tears from her eyes. “I’m basically a doctor.” David shook his head in wonderment, and said, “A doctor, huh? Wow, you really have done penance. My sister, the doctor.” Dani shrugged, and said, “We’ve got a lot of catching up to do, if you’re interested in doing it.” Daubing her eyes, she added, “I didn’t mean to blubber all over you. I probably look a sight, don’t I? ” David told her, “You look fine, Dani.” Shaking her head, and giving him a wry smile, she said with a half-kidding tone, “Liar, I look like bleedin’ heck, but, thanks for being kind. ” He shrugged, and said, “We’re at a funeral; you won’t be the only one coming out of here with puffy eyes.” Dani responded with a snort of wry laughter. “True enough there. ”

“So what do you want, Dani? Why did you come here?” David asked his sister, figuring he probably needed to get back to the church, as surely he was missed already. Dani drew a deep sigh, and she looked at her brother, and told him, “What do I want, David? I came to pay my respects to Grandpa Jack, to get some closure, and to tell my baby brother I want him to be a part of my life again, if he wishes it. ” Right then, fat drops of rain started individually hitting the stone monuments around them with a wet-sounding ‘thwack’, it wouldn’t be too long before a deluge would start up. “I think I’d like that,” he said, after a long moment’s pause to consider what was being asked of him.

“Thank you, ” answered the young woman, as she’d been afraid he’d reject her, and she knew in her heart she couldn’t take that, not after pouring her soul out to him. “I also wanted to invite you to my wedding.” David blinked, and said, sounding a bit surprised “W-wedding? You’re getting married?” Dani shrugged, and countered, “It has been known to happen. Told you we’ve got a lot of catching up to do, but that’s something I’d rather do in a drier and cheerier place than here. There’s a pub down the road from here; if we hurry we can avoid being drenched to the skin. I’ll even buy ye a drink. ”

David glanced back at the church, and said, “Maybe I should get back to the family. Mom and Dad are probably already wondering what’s keeping me. Besides what would I tell them?” Dani followed his gaze, knowing their family would already be greeting their guests, and that her presence wouldn’t be welcome. No, she was the prodigal daughter, left to wander the world, never to be welcomed home again. She bit back the first response which came to mind, something less than polite, anatomical in nature, and requiring a Hail Mary or three in penance if the vicar heard her utter it aloud. “Unlike with me, they won’t abandon you, and you won’t be gone too long. As for what to tell them, tell them what you like, tell them the truth if they can handle it. You were picked up by a strange woman wandering the graveyard, which … isn’t a lie. ” David chuckled, and shook his head, “You are deeply weird, Dani.”

“Just figuring that out now, are you? ” teased Dani, as the two of them started walking out toward the gates of the churchyard. “Bit slow on the uptake, kinda like that ref in your last match. You were robbed.” It was David’s turn to offer a snort and a sarcastic chuckle, “Darned right, I was robbed. That should have been a goal. Wait, you were there?” Dani chuckled, and said, “Seen a few of your matches over the years. Andy and I were up in the stands cheering like a couple of dorks. ” David asked, “And, Andy is …” Dani smiled genuinely, simply thinking about him gave her a feeling of warmth. “My fiancé, Andrew Smith; I think you two might hit it off. He’s a good guy, really. We’ll invite you over for supper, and you two can get to know each other a little bit before the wedding. ”

“Is he a…” David started to ask. Dani shook her head, and answered, “Nope, normal guy. I met him just after graduating from Hogwarts. He’s a freshly minted pharmacologist. ” Dani unfurled her umbrella and popped it open in time to ward off the deluge which had threatened all the time they’d been outside. Even with an umbrella, the driving wind-bourne rain threatened to soak them both to the bone. As they walked off, David asked her a question which had vexed him for many years. “So, how come I didn’t get an invitation to go to this school of yours?

Whatever answer she gave was lost to the swirling winds and rains…



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OOC:


And God knows I'm not dying but I bleed now
And God knows it's the only way to heal now
With all the blood I lost with you
It drowns the love I thought I knew