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last online May 16, 2024 10:27:25 GMT -7
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Aug 2, 2017 12:14:06 GMT -7
Post by Deleted on Aug 2, 2017 12:14:06 GMT -7
Shay smiled at Dom when she said she would let him know if the journal idea worked. Even if it didn’t end up helping, Séamus wanted to know. He knew that Dom probably thought of a lot of wizarding ways to cope with problems, but since he was raised by Muggles (and still considered himself a Muggle, in some ways) the Slytherin liked to think that he would have a different perspective, and maybe one that would help his friend through her tough times.
The Ravenclaw agreed that they could wait until after they got outside to decide what to do, and the Slytherin smiled, continuing his ambling pace. He didn’t think that it was particularly important that they get outside quickly, since they weren’t on any time limit. Dominique asked if he did anything outside during the summer break, and Shay nodded before offering his explanation. “M-my d-da owns a b-bakery.” He began, hoping that Dom remembered that his parents were Muggles and thus she probably didn’t know that his father’s bakery existed. “I h-help h-him w-with the f-flowers in the w-window b-boxes.” Séamus explained. He also helped mow the lawn and trim the trees, but he doubted Dom would know what either of those things meant. “M-my m-mum t-teaches, s-so she’s around d-during the s-summer t-too.” He added. There were some people who didn’t get to spend much time with their parents even when they were home due to their parents needing to work, but Shay got to spend as much time with his mother as he liked, and some time with his da, too, since he helped inside the bakery sometimes, too.
@dominique
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last online May 16, 2024 10:27:25 GMT -7
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Aug 4, 2017 21:23:31 GMT -7
Post by Deleted on Aug 4, 2017 21:23:31 GMT -7
Dominique was watching Séamus as she often did when they spent time together. Often he didn't seem to say everything on his mind, so it was much easier to see what he was feeling when she was looking at his face. Granted, she and Séamus weren't extremely close so she didn't always know what he was saying, but she felt like she could get the general idea. Right now he was smiling, which was definitely a good sign. She saw him nod as a beginning to her question. Then he started to explain, talking about how his father owned a bakery and he worked with the flowers. She couldn't help but smile at that. Of course Séamus worked with the flowers. Then he said his mom taught and Dom nodded. "What does your mom teach? And do you know how to bake like your father?" She didn't know how to do all the things her parents could do, so she wouldn't be surprised if his answer was no, but Dom was trying to be open-minded and learn more about him. "Are you close with your parents?"
@seamus
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last online May 16, 2024 10:27:25 GMT -7
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Aug 9, 2017 10:51:24 GMT -7
Post by Deleted on Aug 9, 2017 10:51:24 GMT -7
Séamus was a little surprise to hear Dominique asking questions about his family. He knew so much about her family, from a combination of newspapers and school gossip and history lessons, that he sometimes forgot that she didn’t really know anything about his family. “She t-teaches p-primary s-school.” Shay explained. “S-so it’s n-not v-very specialized. J-just everything M-Muggles n-need to know to l-learn the b-bigger st-stuff.” He could have said more than that, but the fact that Dom had grown up around wizards made it markedly more difficult to explain everything. He couldn’t tell her that his mother taught them about rudimentary science and maths, because it seemed wizards didn’t much care about that kind of thing. Séamus was sure that most of his classmates would have a cow if he told them that there were entire Muggle classes devoted to learning how to write better essays, so he kept silent on that, too. “W-we used to b-be cl-closer.” Séamus admitted sadly. “I th-think m-me b-being a w-wizard m-made them k-kind of…” Shay didn’t even know the word for it. They weren’t sad, because they knew that he would still be their son no matter what, but they weren’t happy about it, either. The fact that he had been thrown head-first into an entirely different world built a wall between them. “P-put off.” Shay finally decided. Of all of the futures they had imagined for their child, his parents had never thought that he would turn out to have power that they thought only existed in fairy tales. It was still taking them time to accept that, especially with the fact that who his blood status put Séamus in danger at school, and they didn’t like the idea of him being hurt.
@dominique
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last online May 16, 2024 10:27:25 GMT -7
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Aug 11, 2017 11:25:04 GMT -7
Post by Deleted on Aug 11, 2017 11:25:04 GMT -7
Séamus didn't seem to expect Dom's questions, which was hilarious to her. She loved asking questions about things, didn't he know that from their previous conversations? Maybe not ... but he should. From the beginning she'd been open about her curious nature. She nodded as he explained that his mother taught a little bit of everything. It didn't really make sense, but it also did. Her brow furrowed when he said that they used to be closer, but that his parents didn't seem to like him bring a wizard. She frowned, not understanding. "But ... why wouldn't they like you being a wizard? Aren't they proud of you? Dom didn't like the idea of his parents not being proud or supportive. Séamus was a wonderful friend and person and she felt very put off herself that anyone wouldn't be able to see that in him.
Then they reached the doors in the entrance hall and Dom forced a smile. She didn't want to get upset, she and Séamus were supposed to enjoy their time up here. She looked around, searching for anything to catch her attention. Nothing really. "Do you want to walk with me near the Lake?" she asked after a few moments.
@seamus
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last online May 16, 2024 10:27:25 GMT -7
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Aug 14, 2017 12:49:49 GMT -7
Post by Deleted on Aug 14, 2017 12:49:49 GMT -7
One look at Dominique’s expression told Séamus that he hadn’t described his relationship with his parents well enough. Anyone who knew him, and knew them, knew that they were still a functioning family, and a relatively happy one at that. There were closer families, sure, but there were also more distant ones. “Oh, th-they are.” Séamus said. He hadn’t meant to give Dom the impression that his parents weren’t proud of him and didn’t love him deeply – they were and they did. “They j-just… d-don’t kn-know about it, you kn-now?” He said. That was an even more pathetic explanation than his past one, so Shay licked his lips and tried again. “Every p-parent w-wants to p-protect their ch-child. And it’s s-scary f-for them that they c-can’t. I b-belong s-someplace they d-don’t.” His parents would never have a place in the wizarding world, and Shay could tell that bothered them sometimes, especially given everything that was happening lately, with murders and kidnappings and explosions abounding.
Dom asked if he wanted to walk with her near the lake, Séamus just nodded. He was still worried that Dom didn’t understand his relationship with his parents, and the more he thought about it, the more unsure he was that she would ever be able to understand it. Maybe that was just his burden to bear alone.
@dominique
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last online May 16, 2024 10:27:25 GMT -7
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Aug 19, 2017 21:20:10 GMT -7
Post by Deleted on Aug 19, 2017 21:20:10 GMT -7
Apparently Dom misread what Séamus was trying to say. He seemed worried and concerned and she wondered if it was because of her question. Why was Séamus so hard for her to understand? He was a great guy and friend, but out of everyone that Dom knew, she had the hardest time reading Séamus and getting what he wanted and what he was talking about. Maybe it would get easier with time. She hoped so. The second he started trying to explain himself more, Dom felt guilty. He shouldn't feel like he had to explain his family to her. Still, she listened and gave him time to say everything that he was trying to say. She even waited a few seconds after he spoke to make sure he was done. She nodded, "It makes sense, Séamus. I believe that they want to protect you and don't know how to in our world, especially with all the terrible things that have gone on lately. Sorry, I didn't mean to put you on the spot and make you explain yourself. You can just tell me to knock out off if I ask too many questions, you know." Yes she was babbling a little bit and Dom recognized that but she wanted to make sure that Séamus knew she wasn't trying to be pushy and annoying. With most people she wouldn't care, but this was Séamus and she did.
He wasn't talking and Dom worried that she made him upset somehow, so she started acting how she normally would when things for confusing. "Great!" she exclaimed in a voice that was probably a little bit too enthusiastic. She looked around them, trying to figure out something for the to talk about. Suddenly an idea came to mind. "Hey Séamus, what kind of flower is that?" she pointed to a particularly close and pretty flower. Hopefully he knew or that might be awkward.
@seamus
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last online May 16, 2024 10:27:25 GMT -7
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Sept 12, 2017 18:28:06 GMT -7
Post by Deleted on Sept 12, 2017 18:28:06 GMT -7
At least he hadn’t totally failed in explaining his parents, Shay thought when Dom said that he made sense. He wished that there had never been a misunderstanding in the first place, but being understood was the next best thing. Shay wasn’t always guaranteed that someone would understand him, either, so he was thankful that Dominique did. She said that she didn’t mean to put him on the spot, and he just shrugged. It wasn’t really putting him on the spot – it was just a natural conversation that happened to be difficult for him to have, especially since he knew that Dominique came from such a different background, being a part of a wizarding legacy family. She said that he could tell her to knock off if the questions got to be so much, and Séamus shrugged again. “I c-can’t expect you t-to understand if I d-don’t t-try t-to explain.” The Slytherin said. One of his biggest pet peeves in school was being expected to understand everything that the professors said the first time they said it, so it seemed silly to impose that ideal on his friend, especially when she had even less knowledge about how a Muggleborn’s family would work than he had about Potions (or whatever subject was giving him particular trouble that day).
Séamus tried not to wince when Dominique gave an enthusiastic ‘great’ to his nod, as if he had just announced they were going to be having the best day ever. He was really making a mess of things, one off-handed comment causing the entire conversation to go sour. Dominique asked what a nearby flower was, and Séamus glanced at it. “Aster.” He replied quietly. The purple petals of the flowers were quite distinctive. He smiled wanly at the flowers. Patience. Obviously the world was trying to tell him something, and Shay was going to listen. He just needed to wait a little longer, and things would go back to normal.
@dominique
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last online May 16, 2024 10:27:25 GMT -7
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Sept 15, 2017 20:42:50 GMT -7
Post by Deleted on Sept 15, 2017 20:42:50 GMT -7
Dom nodded slowly when Séamus told her that she couldn't understand him if he didn't explain. Well that was definitely true. She just ... sometimes she worried about pushing people too far. Sure, her friends knew that Dom was impulsive, but they also always knew that her intentions were good. She never wanted to hurt someone or make them feel uncomfortable and a part of her was worried that she was doing that to Séamus. Still, he seemed to be serious so she didn't want to say anything to make him feel like his opinion was invalidated or something. "Well I appreciate you trying to explain," she said softly. "Still, let me know if you ever want me to let something go. I don't want to make you uncomfortable." Dom didn't want to make anyone uncomfortable, but definitely not Séamus. He was too good of a friend for her to do that.
Dom wasn't really sure if her change of topic would make things any better, but she hoped that it would. She hated it when things got awkward in general, but even more so with Séamus because she never knew what she could do to set things right again and make them more comfortable. "Aster," she repeated, moving a little closer to the flower now. Knowing its name made her feel a bit more interested in it. "Does it have any uses or is it just a pretty flower?" Dom asked curiously. Normally she wouldn't care enough to ask, but she found herself oddly intrigued right now and she figured that Séamus would know the answer to her questions.
@seamus
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last online May 16, 2024 10:27:25 GMT -7
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Oct 4, 2017 18:58:51 GMT -7
Post by Deleted on Oct 4, 2017 18:58:51 GMT -7
Séamus just shrugged when Dominique thanked him for trying to explain to her. He didn’t really think he deserved praise when he was the one who benefited from Dom understanding him, so his explanation was partly selfish, but he didn’t want to argue with her about something petty like that. He shrugged again when Dominique said that he should tell her if he wanted her to let something go. He doubted that would happen unless something was really, truly wrong. Séamus just wasn’t good enough at confrontation, no matter how small.
“You c-can m-make t-tea f-from it.” Shay informed Dom when she asked about aster flowers’ purpose. Most things could be made into tea, really, since it just involved steeping it in hot water for a while. He was pretty sure aster tea was used to reduce fevers, but he’d need to check his Herbology book to be sure. Séamus wasn’t as well-versed in the medicinal properties of flowers, preferring instead to focus on the aesthetics and the meanings behind them as assigned by people who wanted to communicate in secret. There was something beautiful about being let in on a secret that was centuries old, and Shay hoped to make sure that the language of flowers didn’t die out. “J-just b-because s-something is only b-beautiful d-doesn’t m-mean it’s useless.” He added. Sometimes beauty was useful – brightening someone’s day was just as important as making them feel better physically, as far as the Slytherin was concerned.
@dominique
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last online May 16, 2024 10:27:25 GMT -7
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Oct 10, 2017 18:11:16 GMT -7
Post by Deleted on Oct 10, 2017 18:11:16 GMT -7
Dom's eyes widened a little when Séamus told her you could make tea out of the flower. That never would have occurred to her, though Dom wasn't really too big into tea. She liked it every once in a while, but tended to prefer things like hot chocolate. Yeah ... she wasn't addicted to the stuff at all. "That's cool," she said. At his next comment she thought for a moment like that. "I didn't mean that it was useless if it was just pretty. I just said the first thing that came to my head." Like always. She looked at Séamus close, but he didn't seem offended, so that was good. She didn't want to upset him.
She stopped talking for a bit, taking a deep breath and enjoying the crisp air as they walked around the lake. "I like nature," she said after a while. "It's so peaceful and soothing." A small smile was on her face as she looked around herself in enjoyment.
@seamus
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last online May 16, 2024 10:27:25 GMT -7
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Oct 13, 2017 8:33:37 GMT -7
Post by Deleted on Oct 13, 2017 8:33:37 GMT -7
Séamus nodded when Dominique said that it was cool that the flowers could be made into tea. He decided not to tell her that anything could be made into tea, because then the idea would seem less cool to her, and she wouldn’t be as happy to know the fact. Maybe if it came up again Shay would mention it. He shrugged when Dominique said that she hadn’t meant to imply that something couldn’t be both pretty and useful. Séamus had figured that much.
They continued their walk, and Dom commented that he liked nature, because it was soothing. “F-flowers are easier than p-people.” Séamus agreed, even though that hadn’t been quite what Dominique had said. He didn’t think that she would really like being in nature for the reason she had said – Dom seemed to be the kind of person who didn’t really need peace, constantly moving and talking and being in a way that Shay wasn’t sure he’d ever understand. “I th-think s-sometimes it’s g-good to s-spend t-time in your own h-head.” He said. Too often people were too concerned with pleasing others, and didn’t think about what they could do to please themselves.
@dominique
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last online May 16, 2024 10:27:25 GMT -7
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Oct 19, 2017 17:52:25 GMT -7
Post by Deleted on Oct 19, 2017 17:52:25 GMT -7
Séamus commented that flowers were easier than people and Dom thought about that as they kept on walking. A part of her disagreed with that, because as a general rule she got along with people so easily. She could almost always understand what they were going for and trying to do and just had fun with them. However, lately ... with everything that happened over the last year, a part of her didn't want to be around people as much. It was a small part of her, but that part agreed with Séamus. Flowers couldn't make her feel the way some people did. When they died, it was just a normal part of life. Ugh, she didn't want to get into that again.
She nodded at his next comment, "It's important to know yourself," she added. There was a little bit of a distinction there, but not a big one. Still, she thought it was important. People who spent their lives surrounded by people and their motives often did things for the wrong reasons, because other people wanted them to. Knowing yourself helped that not happen.
@seamus
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last online May 16, 2024 10:27:25 GMT -7
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Oct 29, 2017 10:38:40 GMT -7
Post by Deleted on Oct 29, 2017 10:38:40 GMT -7
Séamus nodded in agreement when Dominique said that it was important to know yourself. One of the things that Shay saw too often with his classmates (and yes, with himself, too) was that they focused too much on their relationships with other people and getting to know other people, and weren’t comfortable enough being alone in their own head. There was a difference between being lonely and being alone sometimes, and Séamus thought that too often students were willing to lump them into a single category.
“W-we sh-should p-probably g-go b-back in.” The Slytherin said after they had been walking in silence for a few more minutes. As much as it felt like time stopped when they were walking in nature, the world around them still rushed on. There were still responsibilities to attend to and other people to talk to and always, always more to learn. Séamus didn’t want to keep Dom from any of it.
@dominique (end on your post?)
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last online May 16, 2024 10:27:25 GMT -7
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Oct 31, 2017 21:46:54 GMT -7
Post by Deleted on Oct 31, 2017 21:46:54 GMT -7
They walked in silence for what seemed like ages, which was a little surprising for Dom. As a general rule, she was not one for walking in silence. She liked talking or teasing and messing around, but today the silence was actually comfortable and she was glad for that. After a while, Séamus commented that they should probably go back inside. Dom sighed, but she knew he was right. As nice as it was to come outside and just walk around and not worry about anything, that wasn't the way life worked. They needed to be productive and complete things, get ready for the end of the year, that kind of stuff. "Yeah, you're right," she said, turning around so they were heading back to the school. Once they reached the main hall, she turned to Séamus. "Thanks for walking and talking with me today,"she said with a smile before walking off. --- the end --- @seamus
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