About Time For A Visit (Susan)

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Edmund stood outside the window to Quality Quidditch Supplies, looking inside. A part of him was bored as he waited for his sister, but not too badly. After all, he was looking at Quidditch brooms, so he was definitely entertained. He loved brooms. Something to do with the amazingness of the sport. He loved the chance to try things that he thought were impossible as a child. Being on a broom brought the biggest rush, the best feeling of freedom that he'd ever felt. He loved it. There was nothing else that could make him feel the way flying did.

Still, he was only using the store window as entertainment until his sister showed up. Somehow, something had changed between them in the last little while. Something he never expected, but at the same time he liked it. They were growing closer. He always thought of Susan as a bossy girl version of Wil, but she wasn't and he was glad. 

He looked up and down the street for his sister. When was she supposed to get here again?

@susanvictoria

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It had been a long first week of work for Susan; she was trying really hard to be a good worker and hostess at the Leaky Cauldron, but she kept on making little errors that she was just sure Hannah was noticing. The landlady was a sympathetic woman though and gave her today off when she found out Edmund was planning on coming to Diagon Alley. She woke earlier than normal that day, a habit she found she was getting into quite quickly. She was used to waking up past noon on the weekends and stay in bed while she was served breakfast by one of her servants. Now she got up and made herself breakfast, usually with Andromeda Lestrange. She hoped the change would continue to strengthen her relationship with Edmund, who she knew thought her to be quite superficial.

Susan tapped the bricks to open up the alley and stepped onto the cobblestone path. She immediately spotted her brothers' dark head of hair outside Quality Quidditch Supplies. Smiling to herself, she walked briskly over to him and tapped him on the shoulder. “Miss me?” she asked, opening her arms up for a hug.

@edmund

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It didn't take long for Ed to get almost entirely distracted by the broomsticks. I mean, sure he was waiting for Susan, but he might as well enjoy himself while he was waiting, right? Besides, it was Quidditch. Since when had he not been distracted by anything that had anything to do with the sport? Since he first became a wizard, that's when. Susan would probably announce her presence when she arrived anyway.

He was pulled out of his daydreams of winning Quidditch matches next year when she tapped on his shoulder. He was surprised, but he didn't jump. Edmund had learned the art of hiding all of his emotions a long time ago. Unless he wanted to show them, of course. He smiled at Susan, glad to see her again. "Home hasn't been the same without you," he admitted. Even though he was growing closer to Susan, he couldn't just tell her how much he missed her, could he? It took him a second or two of watching her open arms to decide that he wanted to go for it. Honestly, physical contact wasn't really his thing. Thus, him giving her a hug was really a confession in and of itself. A confession of how much he really had missed her, if she knew him well enough to notice it, that was.

After a few seconds he pulled away. "So what do you have planned for us today?" he asked with a smile. If he knew Susan, she'd have some sort of an idea about what she wanted to do. At least, in the past she had. "And how are you liking your new job?" Ed wasn't trying to hide anything ... alright, yes he was. He didn't want to talk about how things at home were. So he was trying to distract her from the inevitable questions.

@susanvictoria

(OOC: Sorry that took me so long)

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Susan wouldn't lie, she was a little surprised when Edmund reciprocated the hug. This must have been a first for him; and a sign of how things really were at home. She gave him an extra quick squeeze before pulling away. “I still can't believe you actually like playing Quidditch,” she said with a chuckle, looking at the broomsticks. Susan enjoyed her two feet directly on the ground. She had been on a broomstick a few times and had felt properly terrified every time, and had been sorely tempted to kiss the ground when her feet were back on it. She smiled sadly at Edmunds' admission of the fact that home 'wasn't the same'; she could only imagine what that meant. It hadn't been too long ago that William had come to school, insisting they return home immediately. Lucy had complied, but Edmund and Susan had refused, resulting in Susans' moving out and getting a job at the Leaky Cauldron.

“Work is alright, it's definitely a great learning experience to say the least,” she told her brother, then nudged him jokingly. “Maybe you should try it sometime,” she teased. “Since it's such a hot day, I thought we'd go to get some ice cream, my treat. I just got paid yesterday,” she said, a hint of pride edging into her voice. They walked over to the parlor and got in line. She hesitated, then asked “So...how is home?”

@edmund

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He grinned as she mentioned Quidditch, "Oh, but it's great Sus! The wind in your hair, the adrenaline as you fly through the arena. It's one of the best parts of school." He knew she didn't like flying and that she wouldn't agree with him, but at least he could tell her why he liked it. "I'm free up there. I can be me," he added softly. Then he realized how sentimental he sounded. Blast.

He coughed a little and then decided to try and tease her. "A learning experience? Whatever do you mean?" he asked with a smile. He wasn't sure exactly what she was talking about, but in general their family didn't do much "work" so he could imagine. If only he could escape the struggles at home by getting a job. He sighed. Not for another year. He gave a rueful smile, "I'd try it right now, if I was allowed," he told her, alluding to the stress at home but not stating it outright. What good would that do, after all.

He grinned when she explained his plans. "All right. Well, you know me. I'll never say no to ice cream," Ed confessed. Not many people knew about this particular weakness of his, but it was there. He loved ice cream. He followed his sister and got in line with her. He was looking up at the flavors when she asked the inevitable question. He didn't want to talk about this! But she was his sister, the one person at home he could confide in at the moment. He looked at her, trying to tell her with his expression that he'd tell her in a little bit, when they weren't surrounded by people. Everyone wanted ice cream today. 

It was his turn at the front. "Do you have Moose Tracks?" he asked, even though it wasn't on the menu. He'd gotten it here before and if he was about to have this conversation with Susan, he wanted his favorite ice cream. Chocolate with caramel and fudge was what he needed. He waited for Susan to order and pay and then led the way outside to a small table.

"Home is ... home. Wil is still mad at me for not going with him during school and Mum's always upset. I think Wil is actually trying to find reasons to be mad at me, so I'm just trying to lay low. I really can't wait for school to start because I need ... I need to be out of there. I need magic," he confessed, his voice getting quieter and quieter as he spoke. He didn't mean to say all of this, but it was all true.

@susanvictoria

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Susan smiled and squeezed Edmunds' shoulder. She loved when anyone talked about something they were passionate about, but especially her brother, who for awhile there wasn't really passionate about too much. “To each their own, I will happily sit in the crowds cheering you on except against Ravenclaw,” she teased, ruffling his hair. She knew he hated when she did that but she didn't really care right now – it was good to see him. She held back a laugh though as he ordered Moose Tracks; it was his favorite, even though the ice cream parlor had over fifty flavors. She ordered herself her new favorite; dulce du leche with extra caramel and chocolate cookie crumbles and sat down with him at a little table outside. It was a beautiful day; perfect for talking through family issues.

She listened as he told her the goings on of their home. She knew Will had been angry; when she had come home for a few days to collect her things, they had said perhaps two full words to each other. At first she had been upset, but now having experienced life as a hostess for the Leaky Cauldron, she felt that this path was meant to be for her. She looked at Edmund sympathetically when he whispered his need for having magic in his life. “You'll be seventeen before Christmastime Ed, then you can use it whether or not mum or Will want you to,” she reasoned. It didn't come as a surprise that Will was trying to take things out on Ed; he had always gotten along the least well with their younger brother, and their resilience towards his assumed authority had probably not helped. “Hogwarts will be sooner than you think, and then the three of us at least can be together. You'll be starting Apparition lessons this year, which is exciting,” she exclaimed, trying to cheer him up a bit.

@edmund

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Edmund cringed when she reached over and messed with his hair. Not that it really made a difference, he rarely tried to do anything with his hair anyway, but it was another way to annoy Wil and show him that Edmund was his own person, not the perfect little royal boy he was supposed to be. Edmund wasn't used to people breaking his bubble. "Thanks," he mumbled, secretly pleased when she said she would cheer for him. It wasn't very common for him to get support like that from his family. He followed her to the table outside, finding comfort in his favorite ice cream and surprisingly, by being with his older sister.

"Yeah, but being seventeen before Christmas does nothing to help me now, Sus." he muttered. What he wouldn't give for a legitimate excuse to leave home for a while, but he knew Wil and his mother would never allow it. Getting permission to visit Susan was difficult enough. "They're suffocating me." he tried to lighten the mood. "Yeah, I am excited for apparition. That's going to be so cool! Basically, I just can't wait to get back to school, even with all the stuff that happened last year." He froze, guilt eating at him. He didn't mean to bring that up, not with all that happened. He knew Susan's good friend died and instantly felt sorry. "I'm sorry, didn't mean to bring that up. How are you doing?" he asked, not wanting to make her sad, but wanting to make sure she knew that he was there for her. She was there for her, so he was definitely willing to return the favor.

@susanvictoria

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Susan winced when Edmund mentioned that his turning seventeen in December didn't help him much now.  He was right of course; he was miserable now, and maybe would be less miserable in time for the Christmas holidays.  She knew that her leaving home had been hard on their family, but she didn't realize that it would also hit Edmund so hard either.  "Think of this though; it's August and term starts again September first.  That's less than a month until you get on that Hogwarts Express and head back to the castle.  Then, you'll be seventeen before you know it, and you'll be able to do magic whenever and wherever you want," she said, hoping she didn't sound too condescending; for once she really was just trying to help him.  She was glad that the thought of Apparition class had cheered him up; she had only just recently passed having failed her initial test.  "Let's hope you fare better than me and don't Apparate twenty feet away from the shop you're supposed to and fall on a warlock with a bag leg," she said, laughing shamefully at the memory of her test.  At the time, she had been absolutely mortified and thought she'd never get over it, but she'd learned to let loose and laugh at herself this summer.

Susan did not let her face betray her; Edmund had no idea of knowing Braelynn was still alive, and she had no intention of telling him.  It pained her a little to keep secrets from her family, but this one truly was a life or death situation.   She only hoped that one day, Bay would be able to truly return to the world of the living.  "I'm doing..alright.  I actually work with Braelynn's former fiance, which has been interesting to say the least," she said, giving a weak chuckle.  She cleared her throat and pulled out a Muggle magazine, and flipped to page six.  "So...what do you know about the girl on our dear brothers' arm?" she asked him casually, pointing out the photograph of Wil and Isla.

@edmund

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Ed sighed. He wasn't upset with Susan for trying to be positive, he actually appreciated her opinion, for once. The truth was, he was fully aware that he only had to make it for one more month before he'd be free from home and his older brother and all of that. However, he was losing his patience at home. He didn't know if he could make it another month without causing some sort of scene, one that might cause him big problems. He smiled, trying to show he wasn't upset with Susan, "I know. I just hope I can make it to term without having a major row with Will," he told her honestly. 

He smiled again, chuckling a little as he imagined Susan's apparition test the way she described it. Hilarious! Especially adding the fact that she liked doing things the right way, perfectly. She must have been so embarrassed. "Yeah, hopefully I'll do better than that. I really don't like tests, I would rather only have to take it once."

He nodded slowly when she answered his question. This really wasn't his area of expertise, but Edmund wanted to ... comfort her. At the least, he wanted to make sure she knew that he was there for her, that he was willing to help her in any way he could. "I'm sorry," he apologized again, reaching forward hesitantly to put a hand on her shoulder. This really wasn't something he would normally do. "Really. If there's anything I can do to help you, let me know?" he made the thought into a question, hoping she would accept his offer, but still unsure. He didn't normally do things like this.

He rolled his eyes and grumbled at her next question, reaching over to take the magazine away from her and glancing through it quickly. "Less than you, since you've probably read this article several times. You know Will tells me nothing about himself, much less about his personal life," he mumbled, annoyed not at her but at his brother. Apparently even an article and picture of his brother could put him on edge. Great.

@susanvictoria

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Susan smiled and nudged his shoulder. "Well if you ever feel angry, just come visit me.  There's plenty of room here at the Leaky Cauldron - you can even take a room and just stay until term begins.  That'll save you from being tempted to curse Will in his sleep," she suggested, only half joking.  The relationship between her two brothers had always been rocky at best; with the row between the four of them this past spring, she wasn't really surprised it had deteriorated further.  "Actually, that's really not the worst idea," she said, setting a mental reminder to herself to talk with Hannah when she got back - if there was a room open, then Edmund could come stay sooner rather than later.

She couldn't help but smile when Edmund asked her if there was anything he could do to help.  "You being here is all I need for now, thanks Ed," she told him.  This was definitely a change; a year ago Ed would definitely have not offered much more than a 'sorry' for anything that had happened to Susan.  She was glad though; it meant they were growing up properly.  She finished up the rest of her ice cream then stood up.  "Now, do you still need to get your school supplies?  Or did you want to go to Quality Quidditch Supplies and oogle broomsticks first?" she teased.

@edmund

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Edmund stared at his sister for a few seconds, stunned beyond words. Did she really mean it? Would her boss let him come stay here? Was there really a possibility that he could get away from Will before school started? It seemed almost too good to be true. "You really think I can stay here?" he asked hopefully before he could stop himself. He shut his mouth quickly, embarrassed by his eagerness. He didn't want to seem like he was begging to get out of the house. But still ... he'd do almost anything to get out, even though he was sure Mum wouldn't let him. Neither would Will.

He shrugged when she said she didn't need anything else. At least she knew he was here for her. She knew he would help her if he could, in any way he could. "Well, let me know if you change your mind," he responded, his voice a little gruff.

He grinned when she changed the subject. "Oh you know me, I can waste hours looking at brooms. We should probably go get my supplies first, that way we won't run out of time,"  he teased, standing up and looking down the street. "Where do you want to go first?"

@susanvictoria

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Susan knew what Ed was thinking; that Will or their mother would never in a thousand years allow him to come stay at the Leaky Cauldron.  Unless... "Well, I know in the end Will and mother just want you to be happy, and if you're miserable at home, perhaps they can be persuaded to let you spend the last of your holidays here with me.  It's only another two weeks, and you'd have to be around here anyway," she mused out loud, then looked at Ed seriously.  "You'd have to control your temper though - when you talk to them you need to remember to stay calm and level-headed.  If you snap, they'll say no and never let you come," she instructed, sounding a bit like her old self.  She held his gaze for a minute, then smiled.  "It would be nice to have you around though," she said, laughing a little.  She couldn't believe she was saying that about Edmund of all people.  Their relationship had changed though; when she had been knocked out during the Kidnappings, Lucy had told her later that Ed had been the one to protect her from further harm.

"Supplies first, then Quidditch things," she agreed as they set off down the cobblestone path.  They passed by Flourish and Blotts, but Susan shook her head.  "Flourish and Blotts to me is like your Quality Quidditch Supplies; let's do that later," she said with a smile.  They headed down and found themselves in front of Madam Malkins.  "Our lists did say we needed dress robes this year, shall we?" she suggested.  She had no idea why they would need dress robes; rumors were flying around the Leaky Cauldron but she hadn't been able to get a clear picture yet.


@edmund

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Edmund listened to Susan seriously. He actually really liked the idea of getting away from home for a while. It would definitely make for a more peaceful end to the summer, which would be a relief. He was tired of always being on guard at home. He needed a break. She told him that he'd have to control his temper and Ed nodded. He understood that. He really did. The thing was, Will had a way of getting to him, of taunting him in such an innocent way that no one else could see it. Still, Ed knew he needed to calm himself, especially if he wanted to get away. Sus was right. "I know; I think I can do that," he mumbled, holding her gaze until it felt more like a promise than anything. 

He cocked his head to the side when she said it'd be nice to have him around. "Really? Why is that?" He asked with a sly smile, deciding that if he had to agree to do something hard, he was going to make her explain herself.

He shrugged when she said school first, then Quidditch. He wasn't particularly surprised, except for the fact that she was basically telling him she'd look at Quidditch stuff with him. That was a first. "Ok," he said, laughing when she compared Flourish and Blotts to Quality Quidditch Supplies. It was weird being this open with her, showing her how he was actually feeling, but at the same time ... he really liked it. He hadn't felt this free in front of family since his dad died. It was nice.

"They do," he said, pulling his list out of his back pocket and double checking. "I wonder why. We've never needed them before." He followed her into the store, grimacing. He hated shopping for clothes. With a passion. "Alright, Sus this is your area of expertise. What color do I get and around what size am I? You know I can't stay in here long," he confessed, nervously eyeing the racks of clothes around the room. "Please, please, PLEASE don't make me stay here," he thought to himself.

@susanvictoria

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Susan couldn't help but laugh at Ed's less than enthusiastic response to stopping at Madam Malkins. Saying her brother hated shopping was an understatement, which is why Susan had gone out to get her own new robes a week ago. “Okay okay Ed, you may have grown an inch or two over the school year, so you'll want to get the next size up from what you are now to have more room to grow. As for your colors, I'd go with Green for your house, or blue for your eyes. Both would look splendid on you,” she told him. She herself had gone with floaty turquoise robes that had somehow made her eyes look even more blue when she tried them on. She had purchased some gold jewlery as well; silver did not look nearly as good when she tried pairing her new robes with some pieces she already owned, and it gave her a chance to jewelry shop anyway.

“So if these robes are for a ball, do you have any particular girl you'd like to ask?” Susan asked him, a sly smile playing at her lips. Will now had a new little girlfriend, that she'd be questioning him on when they had coffee tomorrow, Lucy was too much of a sweetheart to be interested in boys seriously, and Susan? Well any boys that she paid any attention to were either also interested in boys, or graduated. That wouldn't help her in the long run, but she was sure Lysander would escort her to anything if she asked nicely enough. Edmund, well he had always been a mystery to her; she barely knew anything about his life at Hogwarts, she realized with a pang of guilt. Mentally, she made a promise to herself to at least ask Ed about his life and how he was doing more often when they returned to school.



@edmund

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Edmund turned to face Susan. All these clothes were making him feel slightly anxious, though he knew that was ridiculous. When she presented the best color choices, his decision was instantaneous. "Green." He glanced at the racks, wondering how one was supposed to find the right size and color in all this mess. He looked back at Susan with a pleading expression on his face, "Can you find one for me?" he asked. He knew she was way better than he was at this.

Then she asked her question and Edmund started glowering, though he wasn't angry at her. Really? A ball? Didn't he go to Hogwarts to get away from all the ridiculousness of royal life. "If it's a ball, I'm not going even if there was a girl I wanted to ask," he mumbled, though there wasn't a girl. There weren't very many girls Ed felt comfortable around. Well, there was Addi, and Gabriella was a friend, but ... out of the two of them he'd rather take Addi. Not that he was going to tell Susan that. Better to just not give her any ideas. "Is there anyone you'd want to go with?" he asked, more to get the subject off of him than anything else. Edmund knew that Susan loved school and life there, but he didn't really know about her personal life. Come to think of it, he didn't know much about the personal life of any of his siblings.

@susanvictoria