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last online Mar 28, 2024 8:34:33 GMT -7
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Dec 31, 2017 20:06:04 GMT -7
Post by Deleted on Dec 31, 2017 20:06:04 GMT -7
Luke had done what he came to England to do. Well, at least he had started it. He had made a lot of progress since April. He had spoken to a woman at the Ministry of Magic who had told him about his birth parents, and he had met his birth sister. That had been somewhat of a random occurrence while he was working in the pub in the small village of Hogsmead, which was close enough to the Hogwarts castle for the students to come and visit on occasional weekends. However, since his meeting with Georgie, he hadn’t made much progress since. He had met his brother, but he hadn’t spent any time with either of them and his conversations with the boy hadn’t been as lengthy as his one with Georgie at the pub.
Georgie was gone for the summer, Luke knew all about her plans since she had come to him and asked him to borrow his truck for her trip in America. He had agreed to let her have it and sent her back with the keys. However, he had to admit that he was a little afraid for the safety of his beloved vehicle. He hadn’t even thought to ask if anyone knew how to drive. How common was it for wizards to know how to drive, anyway? Since Georgie was out for the summer, Luke had sent an owl to his brother, Lance and asked the young man to meet him for lunch in Diagon Alley. He wanted to get to know the boy. He wanted to get to know them both, of course.
Luke got to the cafe first and told the waitress that he would want a table for two. She sat him near the door so he could see when the boy entered. Luke ordered two waters and waited, his nerves caused his foot to keep tapping on the floor until he saw the blond haired boy come through the door and he stood up to greet him.
lancelot ray linley
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last online Mar 28, 2024 8:34:33 GMT -7
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Jan 3, 2018 20:35:48 GMT -7
Post by Deleted on Jan 3, 2018 20:35:48 GMT -7
@luke Between getting the apartment established, starting his practice with learning the bass for the band, and Georgie being gone for the summer, Lance hadn’t exactly forgotten that he also had an older brother that was in England and looking to figure out how to proceed forward as family. He also hadn’t actively reached out to Luke, so he was sure that it looked like he didn’t care as much as he should have. There was too much on his plate, and he knew that. The way all of these things had lined up was crazy. From the end of the previous fall term to the end of the spring term, he had felt like he was floating through a dream. Bombardments from all directions from family, friends, and school. He had never thought that he was the kind of person to become frustrated and fret over silly things, but he had, and he didn’t like it. Rediscovering how to go back to his calm and collected self, like he was put together and always had the right answer, was difficult to achieve. Nobody could get punched in the face over and over again and expect to stand back up unscathed. He thought he could. But he couldn’t.
The addition of Luke to their family, which was a different from him being ‘family’ because he was a full sibling after all, was easier to overcome than their parents being alive still. Lance wasn’t sure if it was because he had become numb to the shit they had pulled, or the fact that he understood now why they had done the things they did. At the end of the day, he, Georgie, and Luke had all been mistreated in a way that was unjust – a way that no child ever should have been treated. Luke was lucky to have been adopted by a family that loved and cared for him. While he and Georgie hadn’t been as fortunate, they had each other the entire time. That was better than nothing at all, and the realization that things could have been far worse than they actually were, was comforting at times. Positivity like that was what had been absent from his life for a few months over the last year.
The letter sent by Luke was therefore unexpected yet simultaneously expected. Lance knew it was going to come eventually, their conversations during the end of the school year had left much to be desired, and it seemed like Georgie was always the one to talk to their older brother more than he was. In a way that was very her. Lately he had become more introspective, deciding to analyze his thoughts before turning them into actions. Dealing with the money and apartment that Barbara had left them was part of that philosophy of inward-looking. Deciding that he needed a break from all of that mature, adult stuff, Lance shot a response back with the owl saying that he was down to meet in Diagon Alley. The trip over had him thinking back on everything he had learned about Luke so far; there was still so much left that they needed to learn about each other and how the three of them had ended up where they were now. Mulling over all of that while entering the place they had agreed to meet at, Lance spotted Luke immediately at a table near the door, raising his hand just in case his brother hadn’t seen him. “Sorry if I kept you waiting,” he said as he sat down at the table.
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last online Mar 28, 2024 8:34:33 GMT -7
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Jan 7, 2018 20:26:31 GMT -7
Post by Deleted on Jan 7, 2018 20:26:31 GMT -7
When Lucas first found out about his being adopted, he was mad at his family for not telling him and for pretending that he was one of their children for all of his life up to that point. Upon hearing about the fate of his siblings, he knew that he had been to hard on his adopted parents, whom he still considered his parents. He had been lucky that he had been given up for adoption before the Linley couple had decided to have other kids who they went on to abandon. He felt so bad for his own good fortune while the two of his siblings had been forced to live in orphanages and moved throughout the world from America to England and then left in a country other than their birth country without parents to guide them. There was nothing he could do to change the past, but he wanted to make up for it by being there for the two now. He knew they weren’t exactly kids anymore, and they didn’t need a parent. But, maybe they could use a brother, or some sturdy adult figure.
As Luke stood, his younger brother entered the cafe and made his way over to the table where Luke was already sat. “It’s alright, I just sat down.” Luke insisted when Lance said that he was sorry if he kept Luke waiting. Luke really hadn’t been here long at all. As soon as the two sat back down, Luke could feel that it was a little weird. Of course it was, why wouldn’t it be? They were brothers who never knew about one another until just a few months ago. “Thanks for coming out today. How’s your summer been? Keeping busy?” Luke asked, unsure yet what else to ask or what topics were safe.
lancelot ray linley
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last online Mar 28, 2024 8:34:33 GMT -7
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Jan 27, 2018 20:41:29 GMT -7
Post by Deleted on Jan 27, 2018 20:41:29 GMT -7
@luke Sure, Luke had just sat down. Lance would have said the same thing if he had been waiting for someone and they apologized for running late as well. That was one of those automatic responses that had built into him since birth; the kind that seemed to transfer into Luke as well, despite them growing up with different families and households. Funny how that worked. Apparently they were more alike than he had initially thought – same parents and having similar physical appearances aside. Lance still gave him an apologetic smile for wasting valuable time. Had their whole situation growing up been different, this encounter would have never had to happen. Catching up now, especially at the beginning, would be the hardest. He assumed over the years (if everything between all three of them went smoothly), things would be more casual. Right now it was still a little off. It was weird, and conversations with him felt stiff and awkward. Lance knew they shouldn’t though, but he had a hard time not making them that way.
“Thanks for inviting me,” Lance responded right away. As for how his summer had been, that would be more of a lengthy answer. Saying it was good wasn’t the best way to describe it at all. “It has been…productive,” he started, thinking about it a little more. “I’m not sure if Georgie told you about the apartment or not, but Barbara left it for us. I guess to make up for the whole abandonment thing…” That was an awful way to jump into it, considering Luke had been left on his own first. At least he didn’t have anything to compare against. Having grown up with their parents and then gotten rid of left way more animosity towards them than being adopted from day one probably did. Lance let out a deep sigh. “But yeah, getting that ready for when I’ll need it after graduating next year. Georgie hasn’t seen much of it since she’s been travelin’ everywhere, so it’s just been me doing stuff for the most part. Nothing too spectacular has happened.” Well, there was the date to the science museum with the American girl, Katherine, if that was what constituted as a date.
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last online Mar 28, 2024 8:34:33 GMT -7
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Feb 17, 2018 21:25:22 GMT -7
Post by Deleted on Feb 17, 2018 21:25:22 GMT -7
Luke wasn’t blind to how awkward this encounter was, in fact, far from it. Luke could feel every forced word out of either of their mouths. He knew that they both wanted their interactions to come more smoothly. However, that was something that was going to have to be built over time. Luke knew better than to expect to be able to just come into their lives and be their best friend. He didn’t expect for them to welcome him in with open arms and no guards up whatsoever. As soon as he found out what their parents had done to these two children, Luke knew that he was going to have to prove to them that he was going to stay. That he was here for the long haul.
Lance thanked Luke for inviting him, a formality, the blond man knew. However, it was a nice thing to say. He knew that Lance felt the same way that he did, that they wanted the two of them to get along but weren’t entirely sure how to make that happen without it feeling entirely forced. Luke wasn’t sure how he got over this part with Georgie, maybe it was because she was the first one he met, maybe because she was a little more open than her brother when it came to the idea of their long, lost, adopted brother. But she was off traveling, and Luke wanted to take that time to get to know Lance. “Yeah, Georgie told me about the apartment.” luke nodded. He was curious about what happened to the two of them over the summer, the woman at the ministry had also told him about the apartment, but he didn’t want to say that. That seemed too formal. “I’d love to see it when you’ve got it done. Unless you need any help - I’m pretty handy,” Luke shrugged, not wanting to step on any toes, but also wanting to make it clear that he was there if his younger brother needed him. “So Georgie’s off traveling with her boyfriend, right? Do you know the guy? You like him?” Luke asked, he had never met the young man dating his sister, and knew that he could trust Lance’s judgment on the guy. Though, Luke wasn’t sure if he had the right to feel protective after only coming into their lives a mere few months ago.
lancelot ray linley
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last online Mar 28, 2024 8:34:33 GMT -7
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Mar 5, 2018 17:58:20 GMT -7
Post by Deleted on Mar 5, 2018 17:58:20 GMT -7
@luke Of course Georgie had told Luke about the apartment already. Lance wasn’t sure why that clicked the wrong way in his head, because it shouldn’t have. He didn’t really care who told Luke about the place since he would have found out about it eventually. The only thing that did worry Lance was that Barbara had left something for him and Georgie, and as far as he knew, nothing for Luke. That may have been because she knew he was adopted by a good family, or that he would be fine on his own, or a multitude of other reasons. This wasn’t the time for him to get territorial over a stupid apartment and bank account, and from his brief interactions with Luke, he didn’t seem like the type to come asking for any of that. He had been extremely upfront about wanting to find his birth family, and he had. Or part of it at least. Lance knew those thoughts were ridiculous, but it was hard to think about anything else when it was the first time he had been presented with any of it. Georgie spared no expense in divulging everything either. He would have to discuss that with her once she got back. “I think I’m managing it well enough. But I’ll let you know. Not like either of us had a lot of stuff to move in,” he shrugged, though still gracious for the offer.
Lance nodded his head, grinning slightly as Luke started asking the questions about Georgie and Louis. He had been the same way the first time he had learned about the Gryffindor and his sister. “Yeah, Louis. He keeps her off of my back a lot of the time,” Lance laughed. “But really. He’s goofy, but has it together. I trust him.” His own interactions with Louis had loosened up over time, initially being wary of how the boy would treat his sister, knowing of him mostly through classes they shared together over the years. While his hyperactivity was a little too much for Lance at times, it was reassuring to see that he knew how to mellow out as well at times. “What about you? Enjoying London? Imagine it’s a little different from home…”
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last online Mar 28, 2024 8:34:33 GMT -7
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Mar 15, 2018 12:51:54 GMT -7
Post by Deleted on Mar 15, 2018 12:51:54 GMT -7
Lance decided that he would be able to manage it well without any help from Luke, which Luke nodded to. He knew the feeling of not wanting help and wanting to be able to have done it all on one's own. And whether or not that's actually why Lance turned down the help, Luke had mostly just assumed it was. There was a lot of their life when they’re weren’t able to be on their own, and Luke didn’t want to force himself into their life, at least not right now. Not all at once. He had pretty much decided that he would be able to get closer to them over time and he didn’t want to rush it and make it awkward or forced. “Well, sounds like you've got in handled then, just let me know if you need anything.” He said again, just as an offering, and not really knowing what else to say about it.
Lance didn’t seem to have a problem answering Luke’s question about the boy that Georgie was seeing and Luke was pretty happy with the answer that he was hearing. Not that Luke thought that he had any right to have an opinion over her boyfriend, but he did care about Georgie and he wanted to know that the boy was nice and was at least nice to her and to her family. “How love have they been together?” Luke asked, just off handedly. “What about you? Anyone catch your eye?” he asked with a teasing smile. It was a bit of an awkward question, but he was getting to know his brother and every question was probably going to be an awkward question. “Yeah London’s nice. It’s a lot bigger than the town I grew up in, but that also means that there’s a lot more to do, more people to meet and more opportunities.” he nodded, “And there’s a lot more people here that I know than I thought there would be.” he smirked, he hadn’t thought he would know anyone, but there was Finn, and now, Danielle. And a few other familiar faces every now and then. “I’m getting used to it. It’s not quite so foreign anymore.”
lancelot ray linley
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last online Mar 28, 2024 8:34:33 GMT -7
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Apr 10, 2018 21:21:45 GMT -7
Post by Deleted on Apr 10, 2018 21:21:45 GMT -7
@luke Lance hoped that it didn’t come across as rude, refusing Luke’s help like this. He knew he would have done the same thing if he was in his older brother’s position. Despite not growing up together, or ever knowing the other existed, it was kind of scary how similar their values were. Their natures seemed to be inherent, most likely due to the hand that they were dealt by their parents. Unfortunately everything always led back to those two. “Thanks,” Lance responded. “I appreciate the offer, really.” There weren’t too many people he knew he could count on, especially if he needed help at the drop of a hat. Very little adult supervision was going to be happening during this summer, and then everything that happened after graduation. The orphanage had done a decent job at mentally preparing him for being on his own, but there were so many logistical things to deal with too. Those were the things he was sure Luke could help him with someday. For now, everything was moving smoothly, and Lance had to do it on his own in order to learn.
The question about the length of Georgie and Louis’ relationship had him a bit stumped. How long had it been? “You have me on that one,” Lance admitted. “A year at least. If not close to it.” That sounded like a safe bet. He was positive that it had been for the majority, if not all, of the previous school year, and that was only a few months away from being a year as it was. As for himself, Lance laughed, “Well, I’ll have more time now if a lucky lady does come round.” He had no idea if anything would come of Katherine, but they had planned to do other things during the summer, time permitting.
He listened to Luke as he described the differences between home and London. Lance sometimes wished that he could recall his hometown more, but each year it seemed to slip further back into the recesses of his memories. It wasn’t exactly fair, being pulled away from there. “So there are other Americans you know here too? What are the odds of that?” Aside from himself and Georgie, the only other American he had heard of at Hogwarts in the past year was some moody Gryffindor guy. He hadn't had the pleasure of meeting him yet though. That was all going to change this year, with the influx of Ilvermorny kids.
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last online Mar 28, 2024 8:34:33 GMT -7
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May 6, 2018 14:25:45 GMT -7
Post by Deleted on May 6, 2018 14:25:45 GMT -7
“Course.” Luke added with a nod when Lance thanked him for the offer, even if the young man didn’t mean it, it was a nice gesture and Luke was thankful for it. It made it all very slightly less awkward. Luke didn’t want to impose himself onto his younger siblings. He knew that coming to England to get to know them would be awkward, but he didn’t want to come into their lives and tell them what to do and how to do it. He wasn’t trying to be a parent figure to them, he just wanted to be there for them in general. He knew that they hadn’t really ever had adults in their lives and he wanted to be able to be that for them, but only if they wanted him. They were too old now to respond to that kind of authority if it was forced on them, and that was the last thing that Luke wanted to do.
Lance didn’t exactly know how long Georgie and her boy had been together and Luke shrugged too. It wasn’t that important, he was just curious. He acted the same way when his little sister in the states had started to date. It was all out of curiosity, and maybe a little sliver of protectiveness. The young man sitting across from Luke admitted that he didn’t have anyone like that in his life and Luke shrugged. Neither did he really. And he wasn’t really in too much of a rush to find someone. Sure, it was nice to have the company, but he was here to get to know his siblings, and that was still his top priority. “Yeah no need to rush any of it.” Luke said off handedly. He didn’t want to be that adult that tried to give relationship advice, but he also just saw no reason to rush any relationships, especially at Lance’s age. If something happened it did, and if it didn’t, that was fine too. Luke felt a little awkward talking about it.
“Yeah it’s definitely unexpected.” Luke nodded about the Americans being in England. There were so many people here that he knew or at least knew of from back in America, even before the Ilvermorny students joined him. It was weird thinking that his adopted siblings and his biological siblings would be going to school together this year. It almost felt normal. “How do you feel about all the American students coming to Hogwarts?” he asked.
lancelot ray linley
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last online Mar 28, 2024 8:34:33 GMT -7
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May 9, 2018 19:23:35 GMT -7
Post by Deleted on May 9, 2018 19:23:35 GMT -7
@luke While having the help of an adult was welcome, it felt strange at the same time. Lance had always equated the aid from the school and the orphanage as one in the same. They existed to make sure he received an education and was comfortable doing so. It wasn’t normal for two children to be stuck in a place like that for seven years. The summer months were more like being at a different boarding house, a brief escape from the castle and school. He was starting to realize now that if he and Georgie had been fostered by a family or adopted, it would have been rather pointless. The only time they would have spent with their new family for the entirety of their school years would be during breaks. No wonder the younger kids always got scooped up immediately and they were left there wondering what was so horribly wrong that no one wanted them. He couldn’t speak for Georgie’s feelings on it, but that concept had always nagged at him. But now they had Luke looking out for them if they needed. So far he seemed to be giving them a respectable amount of space as they figured this whole thing out, which Lance appreciated immensely.
Luke seemed to agree with him on the idea of not rushing into a relationship. He had always followed the idea that if something happened, it happened. So far, nothing much had happened. There were plenty of admirers and a good amount of girls he wouldn’t mind getting to know better, but there was also so much drama attached to it all. By staying single, he had managed to avoid unnecessary things like that so far, usually only being a passive viewer of what his friends were going through. There was still the thing with Katherine though, and while they had gone on a few dates so far, it wasn’t like there was a clear definition on it either. Lance also didn’t know what she would be like once they got to school, with the mixing of Hogwarts with Ilvermorny, and whatever that could bring. “Agreed. What about you? Any scary exes or in-laws I need to be worried about?” There wasn’t much Lance knew about his brother aside from that he had drawn the short-stick first and also managed to grow up in a stable home, unlike himself and Georgie.
Unexpected indeed. The American invasion was already in effect. Luckily he was an early adopter by a whole seven years. Somehow, Lance had a feeling that he was going to be some sort of mediator between the two student bodies. He didn’t mind that, but also hoped it wouldn’t detract too much from his final year at school. Luke asked him what he thought about it, and he shrugged. “I think it’s strange to think that they would have been my classmates and friends,” he answered. “I’m not a huge fan of what-ifs, but it’s hard not to think of it that way.”
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