Stuffed With Stuffing (Lusie)

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Edmund didn't really expect to be a big fan of Thanksgiving. Sure, he understood that they were having an event for all the American students visiting Hogwarts, but that didn't mean he thought he would enjoy it at all. Granted, it was just food, but Edmund hadn't tried half the things on the table. At least, he hadn't tried them the way they were laid out. Stuffing, from the label beside it, was bread and butter cooked inside of a turkey. Why would you stick bread in a turkey?! Needless to say, he was skeptical of the whole thing, especially after reading that description. 

Still, Addi came and sat with him during the feast, which made it a lot easier. She, of course, convinced him to give the food a try and once he had ... well he was trying to decide if his mother and Will would notice if he made a trip over to America every Thanksgiving so he could eat this food again. Maybe they wouldn't. The thing was, this food was just so good! He'd never be skeptical of foreign food again! Okay, that was a lie, but as he sat in the Great Hall, he found himself thoroughly enjoying everything he tried. It got to the point where he was definitely getting a stomachache, but he still didn't want to stop eating. He still hadn't even touched the desserts. 

Eventually Addi left, saying she'd come back maybe, but Ed was all right with that. He figured she wanted to socialize or do some Head Girl thing, and he wanted to relax a bit at the table, let the food settle before maybe he tried something else. Ugh, it was annoying how much he liked this. In the best way.

@lusie

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Lusie, now a proper fan of the American Holiday, got up from where she was seated and was going to go get some air out in the hall for a moment or two, her stomach felt near bursting and she wanted to walk off a bit of it and let it settle before coming back for pie. The young girl hadn’t really known what to expect when she sat down at the feast, but, as someone interested in other cultures, Lusie loved to try new things, and Thanksgiving was probably her favorite new thing that she had ever tried. On her way out, however, she spotted the familiar, dark hair that belonged to her older brother, and she happened to notice that the seat next to him was open. “Can i join you or are you saving this seat?” she asked her brother, standing behind him. It was nice to see him, she didn’t get to see him often, even though they were in the same castle. They were busy with their own things.

@edmund

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Ed finally felt like maybe he could try some of the desserts, that his stomach settled enough for that at least, when he heard a familiar voice close by. Ed grinned, turning to face his little sister. "Join me," he invited. "I was just trying to decide what kind of dessert I should have. Any suggestions?" He wasn't sure if Lusie already ate or not, but even if she didn't she could point something out that looked good, couldn't she? "How are you doing, Lus? I feel like I haven't seen you in forever," Ed added as he looked back at the food. Okay, there was some kind of pie in front of him. It looked good, so he cut a small slice. The smaller portions he took, the more variety he would get to try out, right? Ed was excited by this idea. He looked back over to Lusie once he got his pie, trying to show her that he really was listening. Then again, she probably already knew that. Out of the four of them, Lusie was the sibling that Ed felt closest to, that was not news to anyone.

@lusie

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Ed agreed that she could join him and she sat down, observing this table. It was slightly different, but mostly the same as her table had been. “Pie is always a good choice, isn’t it?” he asked, eyeing a cherry pie herself. She hadn’t had desert yet over at her table. She was thinking about taking a walk and then maybe coming back for desert, that, or sneaking down to the kitchens later on and getting a little something. But since she was here, she figured her stomach could expand a little more, and if she got sick later, it was 100% worth it. “I’m quite well, certainly enjoying Thanksgiving.” the Hufflepuff smirked to her brother, who, she figured, had also never celebrated Thanksgiving before. “I don’t have too much to report, actually. I had tea with Susan the other week, she’s doing fine.” she wasn’t sure if Ed had talked to Susan since school started, but Lusie tried to keep in touch with all of their siblings as often as possible. “How are you?” she asked, reaching for the cherry pie on the table.

@edmund

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Ed nodded firmly when Lusie commented that pie was always a good choice. "Always," he muttered, moaning slightly after taking a bite. It was delightful. He wondered if there was a specific reason why Lusie came over to sit by him, or if she just saw him here and thought she'd join her big brother for a little bit. Either way, he didn't mind. He liked having Lusie around and he hadn't seen her much since school started this year. After thoroughly enjoying his bite, Ed opened his eyes and smiled over at his sister, nodding as she spoke of enjoying Thanksgiving. "Me too. I wish I'd been able to try it before now, because it's worth any stomach ache I might get." Edmund was pretty firm in that statement. He'd do this every year from now on if they'd let him. He might sneak away on Thanksgiving if his mum and Will wouldn't let him. 

He nodded as his younger sister mentioned Susan. "Good to know," he commented. His relationship with his older sister was definitely better than it had ever been before, but they still didn't meet too often. Definitely didn't have tea with one another. Susan probably knew better than to ask him to do something like that with her. He smiled over at his sister. "I'm good. Happy to be back at school and see Addi so much. It's weird thinking it's my last year ... so I'm trying to just enjoy it, you know?" He figured his sister would understand.

@lusie

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Lusie decided to take advantage of the situation she was in and scooped a slice of cherry pie onto the empty plate sat in front of her. The selection was so great and she was sure her stomach would forgive her eventually, even if it meant a slightly uncomfortable night. “Me too,” Lusie agreed with the wish they had done Thanksgiving before. Think of all the time they wasted. “I think mum would love it.” she admitted. They had feasts at the palace with family, but during those they were expected to behave and eat properly. This was different and loads more fun. Lusie never minded having to behave and be proper, but she preferred being free and being herself.

Ed described how he had been and how he was feeling about the year, lusie nodded, “It’s weird that next year I’ll be the last Windsor here.” she agreed, after taking a bite of her pie. “I don’t think I’m ready to be the last one.” she laughed, she knew that it would be fine, but it was odd how quickly they were growing. She missed the time that they were all here together. “Speaking of… how is Addi?” she asked, wiggling her eyebrows suggestively at her brother.

@edmund

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Ed couldn't help but grin when Lusie took her own slice of pie after sitting next to him. Good. At least she wasn't sitting beside him, watching him eat to his heart's content. This way they could both enjoy some good food and talk with one another. He nodded, glad again when she expressed the same feelings as him, that she liked this. He cocked his head at her, "You think so? I wasn't sure if she would like this kind of food." Ed wasn't arguing, more thoughtful in his response as he tried to figure out his mom. Then again, the two of them didn't always see eye-to-eye, so he wouldn't be surprised if he was wrong. 

Lusie started talking about next year and Edmund groaned. "Lus," he moaned, "Can we not jump a whole year. I don't wanna think about where I'll be in a year." It was actually one of the few topics of conversation that Edmund legitimately hated. He didn't want to think about it and he did not like how it was the main thing most people wanted to talk about. He scrunched his nose at her. "I'm not talking about this. You're not allowed to be here on your own, and I'm not allowed to leave. That's that." Yes, he was mostly teasing, but he didn't want to talk about it. 

At his sister's mention of Addilyn Slater, Edmund froze a moment before quickly taking another bite. What was he supposed to say? Tell his little sister how he kissed his best friend. He still wasn't entirely sure what was going on between them anymore. Mind racing, he swallowed and shrugged, "She's fine. Pretty busy being Head Girl. We still do a bit together, but not as much as we used to since I'm busy with Quidditch too." He tried to make light of it all. He didn't know how to explain this to Lusie, or what she'd say about it. He was nervous, which wasn't a common feeling for Edmund.

@lusie

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Ed questioned whether or not mum would like the kind of food and Lusie cocked her head and thought about the question. “Well I think she’d like the idea of all of us around one table at least.” she admitted with a smirk. Even over the summer when they were all in the same place for the most part, Lusie could only think of a handful of times then they had all been at the same meal together. Everyone was busy and no one seemed to have time for the formalities anymore. Herself included. Many times, she’d just take her meals out to the garden, where she spent every sunny day over the holidays, under her favorite tree with her books.

Lusie held back a giggle when he asked if they could not talk about next year. He said he didn’t want to think about where he’d be next year and Lusie shrugged, “Hey I was just talking about me, way to make it all about yourself, brother.” she teased but then looked at him with a smile and silently agreed to drop the subject, she didn’t want to make Edmund upset or anything. Lusie noticed her brother stiffen his posture a bit when she brought up his best friend. He had told her over the summer that he thought he liked her, so she had wondered how that was going. “I can imagine you’re both very busy. But it’s nice you’re still able to make time for one another. I expected her to be sitting with you tonight.” she explained.

@edmund

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Lusie was right. Edmund laughed when she said that their mum would like everyone gathering together for dinner. "Yeah ... and she'd like the idea of us needing to get along with one another for a day, since the whole idea is about being grateful. I can see mum using that against me and Will." He snorted, unable to help himself. While things were better between him and his brother at the moment, they were typically at one another's throats. "I do like the idea of trying to eat this kind of food all together though."

He made a face when Lusie said she was just talking about herself and that he was making it all about himself. "Okay, Lus. The thing is, you talking about being alone here means I have to be somewhere not here, which really just makes me think about where I'm going to be. Soooo it's a pretty natural turn to take," he defended himself, even though he knew his sister was mostly teasing him. Still, Edmund was smiling. He wasn't actually upset, he just didn't really want to talk about it more than he had to. It'd be better to make it into a joke though. 

Of course the conversation turned to Addi. It would, since Lusie knew all about how strong Ed's feelings for the girl were. He wasn't surprised, though he wished he knew what he should tell her about Addi. He shrugged a little. "Yeah, we're doing pretty good at making sure we spend time together. She basically tortured me, hiding in the spiderweb-maze thing at Halloween." Still, he chuckled at the memory of that day. "She was sitting with me," he told his sister, "but then she saw someone and ran over to talk with them. She said she'd be back." Edmund chuckled, "She knows me well enough I'm sure she knew I wouldn't stop eating for a while."

@lusie

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Edmund agreed, noting that it would mean that he would have to get on with Will for that to happen, and his doing so would make their mother happy. Lusie nodded, but didn't comment. She didn’t want to upset Edmund. Lusie got on well with all of her siblings, she knew that they all didn’t get on with each other, but she wanted them all to. She knew, for the most part, it was just Ed that didn’t get along with anyone else. She and Will and Susa all got along with each other nicely. Instead, she chose to put more attention onto him explaining why he had turned the conversation on himself, which he hadn’t actually done, but she just wanted to lighten the subject by accusing him. “Or maybe it’s just because you’re horribly, inexcusably vain.” she shrugged, seriously. And then turned to him with a laugh and nudged his arm. “We don’t have to talk about it, Ed.” she then agreed.

Ed allowed the conversation to turn to Addi and Lusie smiled as he talked about her and said that she had been sitting with him, but then she ran off to talk to someone shortly before Lusie herself came and sat down. “Does she know how you feel about her?” Lusie asked, lowering her voice so that the others around them didn’t catch on to her question.

@edmund

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Edmund made a face at Lusie when she told him that he was being vain. "Ha ha, Lus. You're so funny," he answered, his tone mocking. What? She was teasing him, so he could certainly dish it back. He was about to ask her what she was going to do next year without him, proving that he could let her talk about it, when she added that they didn't have to talk about it. "You wanna make up your mind about that? I can talk about whatever you want ..." He trailed off, deciding to let Lusie really decide what they talked about. 

They were talking about Addi yet, a topic that made Edmund happy but uncomfortable at the same time. He didn't know what to tell Lusie! He and Addi hadn't talked about what happened on Halloween, it kind of seemed like a truce and he didn't want to mess things up by talking about it. He shrugged at her question, "I'm not sure," he said, his voice somewhat whiny. "I thought I showed her, but I don't know if she's getting my hints and I'm nervous to bring it up with her." He was nervous that if he brought it up to Addi, he'd lose her friendship. He honestly didn't know what to do about the whole situation. it was a complicated mess, at least it was in his mind.

@lusie

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Ed gave her a bit of hard time about saying that they could be done talking about the subject that made him feel uncomfortable and she shrugged when he asked her to make up her mind about it, but she didn’t say anything else. She didn’t want to push her brother or make him uncomfortable by talking about something that he wasn’t ready to talk about yet. Instead, she chose to focus on what he was saying about Addi, that was what she wanted to know about anyway. He explained that he had tried to show her how he felt but he wasn’t sure if she was getting his hints. A part of Lusie wanted to tell her brother to just be honest and tell her straight out that he fancied her, but she didn’t want to provide advice on something she had never done herself. She didn’t want to cause her brother any heartache. “Well maybe give it a bit of time?” she suggested. She didn’t really know what to say. “Maybe you could ask her on a date. Something decently casual, but something that definitely says that you’re interested if she is?” she said. “Or, you could just wait and see if she makes any moves towards you.” she shrugged. She really had no idea what to tell him, but she wanted to help. “Sorry I’m not more help.”

@edmund

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Lusie left the topic of this being his last year, which honestly wasn’t a surprise to Ed. His sister was always so sensitive, trying to make sure that everyone felt comfortable and happy. It was very nice, but definitely not something that Ed did. He was too selfish for that. Of course, he’d been working on that a lot during the last two years, but old habits die hard and he wasn’t always the best at thinking about others instead of himself. He nodded when Lusie started to give advice, telling him to give it some time. He nodded, “Yeah, I should ask her on a date, but I’m a little nervous.” Nervous that Addi wouldn’t want to go out with him. Things between them had been so awkward lately. He kissed her and they were friends, but she avoided him at the beginning of the year, and he couldn’t help but wonder if that was somehow his fault. He nodded, “What kind of a date would be casual enough, but show her I’m interested?” Edmund thought that maybe his sister would be able to come up with a better idea than he would if it was just left to him. He didn’t want to have to think of ideas all on his own. He wanted to be able to do something fun with Addi that she would like. He sighed, pausing in his eating to lift a hand and rub at his forehead. “I’m no good at this,” he muttered dejectedly. Then he glanced at his sister, “What if she’s interested in someone else? Then what do I do?” He had no idea. He just wanted to be with Addi.

@lusie

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Lusie was a people pleaser, she always had been. She did like to make the people around her, particularly, the people whom she loved or cared for. Her friends and her family meant everything to the Hufflepuff princess and she wanted them to always know how much they meant to her. While they were talking, Edmund agreed with Lusies suggestion to ask her on a date. Lusie thought it was a good idea, that was they were on the same page, but she understood his fear that she would say no, or that she wouldn’t understand what kind of date it was exactly. “Take her to the tea shop in Hogsmeade?” she suggested. “Or to the three broomsticks if the tea shop isn’t your thing.” she added. She couldn’t see Ed liking the tea shop, but she didn’t know Addie well enough to comment. “Buy her lunch or a butterbeer, pull out her chair for her - do all those things we were taught in charm school but don’t have to do here.” She teased. As royalty, they were taught certain behaviors which were expected of them in the muggle world, but not so much here, which was a nice break.

Along with his questions about what kind of date to take her on, Edmund also asked what if Addie was interested in someone else. Lusie sighed. Obviously she didn’t know the answer, she didn’t know whether or not Addie was interested in Ed, but she knew that Addie cared about Ed, she had to at their level of friendship. And Lusie was confident that she wouldn’t do anything to hurt Ed. “Well, if she’s not interested than at least you know and you can figure out how to go along, still being close friends with her, and still have her in your life in some way.” Lusie said.

@edmund

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Lusie was giving ideas left and right and Ed found himself nodding repeatedly. He could take Addi to one of those places, be polite and everything, but she’d know that wasn’t him. At least, she’d know if he tried to take her to the tea shop that something was up. Growing up, Ed often made fun of the people who went into that place, especially the guys. His opinion of the place hadn’t changed, but if Addi wanted to go somewhere like that, Ed found that he was more than willing to do that for her. “Yeah, yeah those are great ideas,” he agreed, swallowing thickly. Ed picked up a knife and tapped it on the corner of the table, unable to pull his gaze from the thing, “I just have to find the courage to actually ask her.” That would probably be the hardest part for Ed, assuming Addi said yes. He always felt like when they were together things were easy. The hard part came when he was thinking about their relationship and trying to come up with a way for it to go the way he wanted it to.

Edmund knew he wasn’t being entirely fair to Lusie. How was she supposed to know what he was supposed to do if Addi wasn’t interested in him? She was younger, hadn’t really been in a relationship- that he knew of- so it wasn’t like she had lots of experience to pull from. He sighed when she said that if Addi wasn’t interested he’d figure out a way to still have her in his life somehow. She was entirely right. Even if Addi didn’t like him the way he wanted her to, Ed wouldn’t want to lose her as a friend. She meant far too much to him. “You’re right Lus,” he told her. “Sorry for dumping all my worries on you.” Really, him trusting her with all this information was a sort of compliment, since Ed didn’t normally share his feelings with anyone. He was very much a closed person and the fact that his little sister knew how much he cared for his best friend was sort of a big deal, at least it was to him.

@lusie