catatonia [adena]

[Deleted]

Graduation was over, her things were packed, and Jamie was eating her last meal at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. It should have been bittersweet, but instead it was just bitter. She didn't really want to leave the school behind. Piece of Elias still lingered there, and Jamie half-wished that her brother would appear as a ghost, the same way Ethan Johnson had. It was selfish, and Jamie disliked that, but she had been trying to embrace her own selfishness every once in a while instead of self-flagellating because of it. If there was anything good about the whole situation, it was that Maria had died, too. Not that more deaths was a good thing, but it meant the two cousins could be together always, and walk into the arms of fate hand-in-hand. It would be a beautiful image, if it wasn't so morbid, and Jamie forced herself to focus on the contents of her plate instead. Sausage and bacon and pancakes. How was it that her departing breakfast looked just like every breakfast she'd ever had at the school? Jamie sighed to herself and began pushing the food around listlessly on her plate, ruminating about the nature of endings and goodbyes.

@adena

[Deleted]

The sudden ending of the school year did not bode well with Adena. She should've been happy; she was going home, she would get to see her sisters, and all would be well. Instead, the linger destruction of both the Beauxbatons carriage and the Durmstrang ship hung over her like a threatening cloud. Her friends had tried to get her out of her stupor, but it had been in vain. Adena was near silent in the following days, only speaking when spoken to and walking around without purpose. Even as she tried to pack, she found herself lost, trying to remember what she was doing in the first place. As such, it took her several hours to hunt down her belongings and stow them away in her trunk.

The girl walked down the many stairs to the Great Hall, letting her feet guide her. Occasionally, someone would call her name and she would give a little wave, but she didn't speak. When she finally reached the giant room, the cacophony of noise made her sneer. She looked over at the Gryffindor table, which was rowdy and raucous as always. She didn't want that. No, what she wanted was to be with family. And she knew just the person. Making her way over to the Hufflepuff table, she finally spotted the flowing gold locks of her cousin, Jamie. Walking up to the older girl, she timidly mumbled, "Mind if I sit here?"

@jamie

[Deleted]

Jamie heard a voice at her right side – an unfamiliar voice, at that – and looked up. It took her a moment to figure out what was happening (why would someone be approaching her at this, her last meal? It was a little late to be forming relationships) but once she recognized the girl’s eyes, Jamie was able to peg her as Adena Oliveira. Being approached by one of the Oliveira children was strange. Jamie’s meetings with Mina and Sarah had been extremely different experiences, and she was a bit unsure of how this was going to go. From her letters with Mina, Jamie had deduced that the youngest Oliveira child was at least not as crazy as Sarah was, but apart from that (and her knowledge that Adena was a Gryffindor), Jamie was unaware of any of her sort-of cousin’s personality. Jamie was trying not to be too bitter about the whole cousin-not-cousin situation, but it was a bit disorienting to have a bigger family, and then suddenly not. Jamie suddenly remembered that there was a question waiting for an answer, and she nodded, scooting over so there was enough room for the other girl on the bench. “Are you ready to go home for the summer?” Jamie asked, figuring that if Adena had asked to sit by her, she already knew who Jamie was and introductions weren’t necessary – they could skip straight to small talk.

@adena

[Deleted]

Adena tried to smile as Jamie allowed her to take the seat next to her, but it came out as more of a sour grimace. She sat down next to her cousin and began piling food on a plate as was customary for her every meal. Once the food was stacked on her plate, she picked up her fork and stared at it for a few seconds, her appetite nonexistent. She poked at the link sausage, hoping that moving it around would wake up her stomach, but it did nothing for her. She glared at the food, angry at it and herself for not being hungry. She jumped at little as Jamie spoke and turned to look at her, pushing her plate away. "I guess. I mean, I'm glad finals are cancelled and I can see my sisters. But it all just seems so...sudden," she said sadly.

@jamie

[Deleted]

Jamie watched as Adena poked at her food, unsure of what else to do other than eat for herself as silence reigned. After a moment, the Hufflepuff nudged Adena softly. “You should eat.” She wasn’t sure whether their vague familial bond gave her the right to mother Adena, but Jamie figured the Gryffindor could use a little food in her stomach before getting on the long ride home. When the younger girl answered Jamie’s question about being ready to go, the older girl lifted one of her shoulders in a half-shrug. “It was all very sudden.” She agreed. After the explosions, everything for graduation had been thrown together in a few days. “I wish that exams could have been skipped for a better reason.” Jamie lamented. Not having to sit her exams was nice, but it also meant that all of her stressing across the year had been for nothing. And her brother’s death had also been one of the reason she didn’t have to sit exams, so that put a damper on… well, everything.

@adena

[Deleted]

The young witch flinched as Jamie spoke again, telling her to eat. Adena looked at the food on her plate. Finally, she cut off a chunk of sausage with her fork and popped it in her mouth. She chewed slowly, still not sure if her body would accept the offering, and swallowed. The food went down like a brick and she chased it with a hefty swig of orange juice. When the liquid hit her stomach, it decided to wake up, reiterating Jamie's claims that she needed to eat. Adena began attacking her breakfast in earnest, shoveling food into her mouth as if she hadn't eaten in days. Which, to the best of her knowledge, she hadn't. Shock had a way of doing that to a person. Once her stomach stopped growling for more food and she was able to eat at a more civilized pace, she turned and looked at Jamie. Holding a slice of melon on the end of her fork, poised to enter her mouth, she asked, "What about you? Any plans for the summer?" It felt weird, making small talk in the wake of such traumatic events, but at the same time, it felt...okay. The sense of normality was welcome. At least, it was better than walking around like a ghost.

@jamie

[Deleted]

Jamie’s admonishment to eat seemed to have struck a chord with Adena, because after her first hesitant bite of sausage, the younger girl began shoveling food down like her life depended on it. Jamie chuckled a little, knowing that once upon a time she had done something similar. Eating quickly seemed to be a family (well, not-family, but whatever) trait. Jamie waited patiently for the younger girl to finish with her first round of food, taking the time to being to eat her own breakfast, albeit at a much slower pace than Adena was going. When the Gryffindor finished her food, she asked what Jamie’s plans for the summer were, and Jamie shrugged. “I guess just learning how to be an adult is pretty high on the list.” She had sorted out her living situation, which made the first few weeks of the summer seem a lot less stressful than they had before she had figured out where she was going. “I have some publicity events scheduled, since I’m going into professional Quidditch.” Jamie shared, unsure whether or not Adena knew that tidbit, or how she’d found out. “Other than that…” Jamie shrugged again. She wasn’t big into making huge plans. She’d probably celebrate her birthday and maybe go out with some of her friends, but everyone was going to be busy, so Jamie wasn’t going to hold out too much hope on that.

@adena

[Deleted]

Adena popped the patiently waiting slice of melon into her mouth while waiting for Jamie to tell her about her plans, which were few. Now that her stomach was satisfied and purring happily, Adena was finally able to slow her intake of food. She grabbed a few more pieces of fruit and a slice of toast and munched on them slowly while Jamie talked. Her eyes widened in surprise and her eyebrows raised when Jamie mentioned that she would be doing publicity events, further explaining that she was going into professional Quidditch. "Congratulations," Adena said with a small smile. She had never really cared much for Quidditch or sports in general, but she was always happy to see others succeed in their dreams. She thought about her own future and what she would do when she graduated. The obvious answer was to join the Ministry of Magic in the Beast Division. That had been her goal since she was a child. But that was a long way off. "Any idea what team you want to play for?" she asked. She didn't know one Quidditch team from another, but it seemed like the right thing to ask.

@jamie

[Deleted]

Jamie smiled at the younger girl when the Gryffindor congratulated her on her going into professional Quidditch. “Thanks.” No matter how many times Jamie gave the news and received a positive reaction, there was still something thrilling about being able to tell someone that she had achieved her dream job. Jamie nodded when Adena asked if the Hufflepuff knew what team she wanted to play for. “I’m going to sign a contract with the Holyhead Harpies as soon as I’m out of school.” Jamie had already received her contract and reviewed it. All she had left to do was sign, but apparently the team wanted there to be an event for it, and put her picture in the paper and everything. Jamie still wasn’t entirely comfortable with the notion of fame and the fact that people would want to see her every move, but she was going to become comfortable with it, because she loved Quidditch. “Are you a fan of the sport?” She hadn’t thought to ask Mina anything about her sisters’ likes and dislikes when she had been writing the middle Oliveira child. Though maybe it would have been a little weird to come into a conversation already knowing everything about Adena…

@adena

[Deleted]

A weight felt as if it was being lifted off of Adena's shoulder. The crushing sorrow she felt was slowly dissipating by being around Jamie. Even though they were just making small talk, it was what Adena needed to shake herself out of her funk. "Who isn't?" she replied, a little glimmer of excitement sparking in her at Jamie's question. Adena had never played Quidditch herself - she was clumsier than a newborn foal when she was on a broom - but she had also never missed a match, cheering on the Gryffindor team until her lungs hurt and she couldn't speak the next day. "You'll do great, Jamie," she said kindly. She had watched Jamie play for years, and the girl was an excellent chaser. Adena casually picked at the remainder of the food on her plate, turning thoughtful. "It's gonna be weird not having you around anymore. Or any of the seventh years."

@jamie

[Deleted]

Adena asked who wasn’t a fan of Quidditch, and Jamie chuckled. “I know a few people.” There were some people who just weren’t interested in Quidditch for a variety of reasons, or only came to the Quidditch games at school because there was nothing better to do. As far as Jamie was concerned, it was their life and they could do whatever they wanted – even if that meant hating one of her favorite things in the whole world. Adena said that she was going to do great, and Jamie offered a small smile. Everyone was saying that, but after her conversation with Liona, Jamie was a little more willing to accept the compliments. She knew that there were people who would be there for her even if she wasn’t as great at Quidditch as everyone was anticipating her to be. Adena said it would be weird without the seventh years there, and Jamie raised her shoulder in a shrug. “You’ll get used to it quicker than you think.” It hadn’t been as hard for Jamie to adjust as she had thought, and she figured Adena would just go through the same adjustment process and come out just fine.

@adena